Florida Bond Reduction Hearings
Bail is imposed by a court on a criminal defendant as a method to ensure he or she will appear for all pre-trial and trial appearances. Defendants who fail to appear in court will have their bond revoked.
Bail is generally set based upon the severity of the offense and the defendant’s role or involvement in the alleged crime. A defendant or his or her family will usually go to a bail bondsman who will post a bond in the amount of the bail amount.
High bail or bond is imposed for serious offenses such as murder, robbery, armed burglary, a sexual assault, or for a substantial financial crime. If you are unable to make bond and need it reduced, you should retain a criminal defense attorney to file a motion to set bond or to reduce the bond amount.
Some of the reasons for a bond reduction hearing include the following:
- You were arrested pursuant to a Violation of Probation warrant.
- You are accused of committing a new offense while free on bond on another matter.
- A warrant has been issued for your arrest and you do not know the amount of the bond.
- The bond is unreasonably high or you are being detained on no bond.
Posting Bond
You could pay the entire amount of the bail or bond in cash or with a cashier’s check. When the case is resolved, the cash is returned to you but any court costs or fines will be deducted from the cash bond you paid. Of course, if you fail to appear at any court appearance, the entire amount of the bond will be forfeited.
The most common method of posting bond is with a surety bond provided by a bonding company, which charges 10 percent of the total bond amount. Typically, the bondsman or company will require that you put up collateral, such as real estate, that has a value equaling the bond amount. So, you pay the bond company 10% of the total bond and put up collateral for the rest that the bond company will return at the conclusion of the case. However, the bond company will keep the 10% for their efforts.
You can have your bond revoked not only for not appearing in court or at trial, but if you lied on your bond application, were arrested again, if you changed your address without notice to the bondsman, or if you leave the court’s jurisdiction without the court’s permission.
Arguments to Reduce Bond
A criminal defense lawyer can offer a number of arguments in favor of reducing your bond including the following:
- You have sufficient ties to the community such as having grown up there or have substantial family living in the community
- Your poor financial condition
- You have a limited or no violent criminal history
- Your limited involvement in the alleged offense
- The lack of credible incriminating evidence
- You have a stable or sound employment history
Don’t attempt to have your bond reduced by yourself or by an inexperienced attorney. If you need a bond on your case, or need your current high bond reduced, then hire The Law Office of Travis Williams, a criminal defense lawyer who has successfully negotiated and reduced the bonds of many criminal defendants in many different types of cases.