3 Factors That Determine the Bail Amount
If a defendant’s bail amount were one million dollars, would you assume that the committed crime was almost as bad as murder? On the contrary, a high bail amount does not always mean the crime was extremely severe. When a judge sets the bail amount, he/she considers many different factors regarding the defendant, as well as the details of the case itself. Let’s take a further look into 3 of the main factors the judge takes into consideration:
Evidence
Before deciding on a bail amount, the judge must make an educated guess regarding the outcome of the coming trial. Will the defendant likely be deemed guilty or innocent? This is important because if the judge believes the defendant to be guilty, the judge can also infer that the defendant has more motivation to run and skip their trial. Therefore, the judge will likely raise the bail amount in hopes of encouraging the defendant to appear in court.
Criminal History
The judge will likely look at the defendant’s history. If the judge sees that the defendant has attempted to skip out on court appearances in the past, the judge will likely raise the bail amount. In addition, if the judge sees that the defendant has a history of committing violent crimes, the judge will likely raise bail in order to discourage the defendant from utilizing bail in the first place. If the defendant uses it, he/she will be encouraged to appear in court due to the high bail price.
Crime Severity
Of course, the bail amount will be higher for severe crimes than for minor ones. For example, the bail amount for minor vandalism will be much less than the bail amount for a major robbery.
Oftentimes, a defendant’s best option is to hire a bail bondsman to assist them in bailing out of jail. Especially for lower bail amounts, working with a bondsman makes the process very doable!
When you or your loved one winds up in jail, your first call should be to Alabama Bail Bonds. We understand how stressful it can be trying to navigate the bail bonds process. Count on a licensed bail bondsman to make the process as easy as possible for you.
Alabama Bail Bonds of Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa, AL
(205) 339-7109
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