Being in jail might be frightening, but bail allows you to leave and wait for your hearing in the comfort of your own home, surrounded by your loved ones. Check out what you can and can’t do while out on bond if you or someone you know has recently been arrested, or if you’re just curious about the bail process. Keep reading.
When Are You Allowed to Travel Within the State?
If you’re out on bond, you can generally travel within the state with written permission from the bail agent and the court. If you need to go out of state, even if you have formal authorization from the court, your bail bond agent maintains the right to prohibit out of state travel depending on your case and bail bond amount.
International travel, on the other hand, is almost never permitted. You may be granted special permission if you already had a vacation scheduled and the hearing date is far enough away. However, in most circumstances, neither the courts nor the bail bond provider will allow it. Even if you do not intend to run, the fact that you are in another country may cause you to be late for your hearing if your flight is canceled or you are delayed at customs. This is only one of the numerous reasons why traveling internationally while on bail is frequently restricted. But please contact your bail bond provider for the exact rules to your bail.
You Have the Ability to Find and Keep a Job
Continue to work if you already have one. You will have less money to spend on your defense if you stop going to work because you are in detention instead of posting bail to be released. You may also lose your job if you stop going to work. Furthermore, continuing to work tells the courts that you are less likely to flee because of your ties to the community. Focusing on your job has the added benefit of lowering your risk of committing minor offenses or engaging in activities that could result in your bail being revoked.
Start seeking for work if you don’t already have one. Finding a job and keeping it before your court dates demonstrates to the court that you are attempting to take control of your daily life in such a way that you are contributing to your community as a productive citizen. This also shows that you are now establishing a favorable pattern for yourself in the future, which your defense counsel can later transmit to a judge on your behalf at trial.
Bail Conditions Cannot Be Ignored
When you are released on bail, you are usually required to fulfill specific terms. If you were arrested for drunk driving, for example, you may be subjected to a number of bail restrictions while awaiting trial. This may entail abstaining from alcohol, attending AA meetings, completing DUI traffic school, and refraining from visiting bars or other establishments that provide alcohol.
The actual terms of your bond will be determined by the nature of the offense, your ties to the community, your criminal history, and your mental state. As a result, if you hit someone with your automobile during the DUI event or have a history of alcohol-related offenses, you may be subjected to more stringent terms.
You Can’t Miss Any Court Dates
You can go home after posting bond, but you must still attend all hearings and court proceedings pertaining to the offense for which you have been charged. Your bail bond requirement is satisfied as long as you do so, even if you are proven guilty. As a result, the bail bond agent is cleared, and any collateral posted for bail is returned. If you fail to appear at any hearing for the case for which you posted bail, a bail bond agent or law enforcement officer will arrive at your door to return you to jail so that the bail bond agent is not ordered to pay the full amount of your bail to the court, any collateral you posted is not also lost to pay said bail, and you are finally forced to face your charges in court in front of the Judge.
You forfeit your collateral to the bail bond agent and ultimately the courts if you don’t show up for your hearing. In addition, the court will issue a bench warrant for your arrest and return to jail.
Bail permits you to remain at home while you await your hearing, allowing you to continue working and living your life. Many people on bail, on the other hand, are subject to conditions, and their travel may be restricted, as we just mentioned. Contact Alliance Bond Bonds, which is located in Daytona Beach Florida, if you have any questions concerning the bail process or bail in general, you can visit our website at https://volusiabailbondsman.com or give us a call at 386-257-5116 for more information.