Month: April 2013

All right folks, here we are again. Factors That Determine Bail Amount in Salt Lake City Part III: Return of the Blog. We’ve already discussed several factors that come into play when a judge or clerk sets bail. This being part 3, you should probably check out part I and part II if you haven’t already. In case you haven’t read those and those links just aren’t the right color for you, here’s a quick rundown of the factors we’ve discussed: The nature and circumstances of the crime committed, the potential penalty, family and community ties, employment history, length of residency, reputation within the community, history of mental illness, substance abuse, criminal record, previous failures to appear, and evidence of the risk of flight. So let’s talk about the last couple things that judges and courts use to determine bail amounts:

Read more

Here we are again, folks. Part II: Prison Boogaloo, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part I of this Blog. We’re going to continue with our list of the factors that determine bail amount. Last time, we talked about the nature of the offense and the circumstances surrounding it. We also talked about how the penalty for the offense plays into the determination of the bail amount. We talked about how the courts take into consideration the roots that the defendant has established, such as family and community ties, employment history, and length of residency. So, here we go, part II:

Read more

We’ve all seen it hundreds of times on television shows and in the movies. A man walks into court and the two attorneys argue back and forth. The defense attorney talks about how great his client is and how he rescued a puppy from a well and all of his neighbors love him. Then the prosecuting attorney stands up and talks about how evil the defendant is, how despite saving the puppy he stood on the heads of three kittens while doing it. He also litters and hasn’t paid his taxes for the last 2 years. The judge listens to all this and then sets the bail at a seemingly random number or the “no bail”.  This happens in real life as well but is often less dramatic. There are a number of things that are considered when a bail amount is set. Here are the factors that determine the bail amount:

Read more

Here it is, the situation nobody wants to be in. The good news is if you’re reading this then you don’t need the information in this blog at the moment. Choosing whom to call when you’re in jail can be tricky; you only have a certain amount of time to make calls while you’re in booking so you have to make those calls count. You have to make sure that the person or people you call are home and are willing to take a collect call. It can actually be more beneficial to you to call a bail bondsman and this is why:

Read more