Being charged with a crime is a stressful situation. Defendants have to be booked into jail before they can post bail and return home. One of the major questions people have regarding bail bonds Stroudsburg PA is how the process of posting bail works. There are a few important points to keep in mind.
The Defendant Is Booked
The first step in posting bail is going through processing which is also known as being booked. Those who have been charged with a crime are first arrested by police. Then, they are transported to a detention center where they are fingerprinted. Defendants will also have their mugshots taken at this time. Some individuals who are charged with more serious crimes could even have their DNA taken. After this, defendants are asked to change into a jail jumpsuit at the local detention center. Finally, they are held there until they go before a judge.
The Defendant Goes Before the Judge
The schedule of how and when defendants appear before a judge varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Usually, those who have been arrested will go before a judge the next day. There, the charges and arrest warrant are read. That is when the judge will determine if and how bail will be granted. Almost universally, individuals are provided with a chance to post bail and return home to defend themselves against the charges. If an individual has been charged with a capital offense, such as murder, the judge could deny bond. In this case, the individual is held in jail until trial.
The Defendant Posts Bond
Once the bond has been set by the judge, he or she will post bond and get released from jail. There are a few ways that this is done. In some cases, individuals can post bond on their own; however, this can take a while to be processed. It is faster to go through someone known as a bail bondsman. In this case, the individual pays the bail bondsman a certain percentage of the bond. Then, the bondsman uses expedited channels to post band and get that individual released from jail.
After Posting Bond
Once bond is posted, the paperwork has to be processed before the defendant is released. Then, that person can defend himself or herself against the charges. In most cases, individuals will hire a criminal defense attorney to help them put up the strongest defense possible.