Question about jails in Texas?

Question

My boyfriend got arrested...I think it was for some traffic tickets(warratnts) and cuz he hadn't reported to an officer for his probation. He told me something about $500-$1,000 for his bond. Is there a deadline to bail out people on bonds? Do they take a long time for them to go to court? Who can go visit, call, or write them in jail? What kind of information would I need in order to do all that?

Answer 1

actually a bond fee is 15% of the bond amount. 10 % is a myth unless you are talking about a very good customer. at 10% the bond company makes 0 profit. they don't do these things as a public service, they are in the business to make money.

1. call a bond agent in your area. you can even call several and price check but you will pay about the same amount no matter where you go. as long as your bf isn't a flight risk, it will be just the bond fee. it also depends on the charge as well and the county. some counties are harder to get a bond released, therefore the bond company asks for more money or for collatoral. when you call the bond company, they will contact the jail and find out if your BF is even bondable or if he is stuck. if he has a probation violation then you are looking at a 2500-15,000 bond or more depending on the original charge and the county. the tickets may or may not be bondable from that jail,and he may be saying tickets when he is in fact referring to a misdemeanor (a lot of defendants do that even though a ticket is actually a traffic violation and they are talking about any kind of misdemeanor) that means he may have to be transferred to another jail to bond on that charge. bond companies don't charge any $$ for checking bond information, they only charge for the actual bond. and always remember, the bond fee is non-refundable whereas collatoral is depending on bond conditions.

2. you can call the jail. they will give you visitation and mail information. jails do not allow people to call inmates, they are not running a hotel. typically visitation is only 1 or 2 days a week and at certain hours. if you are approved to visit and your BF is allowed visitors (depending on his behavior in jail) you must have a valid ID to visit, not have been incarcerated in that jail for the previous 30-90 days depending on the county, and not have any outstanding warrants. you must also be propperly attired. you cannot take anything with you into the visitation room and they will check warrants when you hand over your ID.

3. there is no time limit on bonding. as long as the person is bondable, they can be bonded 24/7. but when a bond is written it can take from 1-5 hours to book out depending on the county and how busy they are. ask the agent about how long it will take. some companies go to the jail and pick the defendant up themselves, some have the person paying for the bond pick them up from the jail. be sure to ask.

4. the first court date in jail generally happens within 48 hours of arrest. it is most often called a video plea because the judge isn't actually at the jail whereas in some counties, a judge goes to the jail for the arraignment. at this hearing, the defendant is asked if they want to plead guilty or not guilty. if they plead guilty, they proceed to sentencing. this generally only happens in the cases of traffic tickets. if they plead not guilty, then the judge decides whether or not to set a bond. that is based on what the charges are, what county the charges originated from, if the probation officer or parole officer (if applicable) has put a 'hold' on the person (meaning the person cannot bond out and is stuck until the charge is completely disposed of), and on the person's criminal history. whether the person is bondable or not, the next court date can be anywhere from 1 week to 3 months later. again the person is asked if they wish to plead guilty or not. at this time, if the person pleads not guilty, they will set a tentative trial date.

you can get the jail phone number from the phone book. look under county govt. (or city govt if it is a city jail)

Answer 2

You need to contact a bailbond office where he is in jail. To bail him out, they'll want some kind of security, like a house, car, etc.... They usually can answer your questions about bail. If he has no money when he goes to court, then he gets no bail, or he may get bailed out on his own recognizance, if he doesn't have a bad record. This means bail with no money - see this exlanation:www.lectlaw.com/def2/o024.htm

I would call the Public Defender's office wherever you are, and ask to speak to his appointed attorney. He may have to give his permission. They will know about court and sentencing. As for visiting, etc., in jail, you'll have to wait to see where he is sent? If you want to visit him now, call that jail, and they will give you the information.

Answer 3

no hurry hes not going anywhere. bond is typically 10% of the actual bail set, paid to a bondsman gone money. The county has no incentive to keep him around feeding him so will set a court date, on charges like this there wont be a trial he'll plead and be sentenced. Need to know the county and location of the jail, he can call you collect. you can write but prob not visit if youre not kin.

Answer 4

nicely the adaptation is that the county jails are run via the county and the state jails are run via the state. regularly greater severe offenders or those sentenced to long sentences do their time interior the state prisons. And as for the place this is... Texas has approximately one hundred state prisons. you will ought to renowned the call.