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The Fine Print: Understanding Bail Conditions
Henry Jennings
If you are arrested and behind bars, bail means one thing – freedom. Most people understand that bail is a sum of money you pay to be released from jail but that is only one small part of bail. Bail comes with a lot of small print and rules known as conditions. Read on to find out more about some more common bail conditions and what they mean.
- Court Appearances – Possibly the most important bail condition is to appear in court. When a defendant is released on bail, the paperwork will contain some important dates and information about future court dates. Being late or forgetting to appear in court could result in an instantaneous bench warrant for your arrest. Those who don't show up for future court appearances and get arrested again may not be eligible for bail and that means remaining in jail for months.
- Staying in Touch – In addition to appearing for court, some courts require defendants to check in periodically with the court, usually by phone. It's an easy thing to do to avoid being arrested again.
- Avoiding Bad Actors – You might also be warned about associating with certain people like convicted felons or others.
- Drug and Alcohol Concerns – You may need to appear for random drug or alcohol testing in some cases. This may be a good time for those accused of drug crimes or driving under the influence (DUI) charges to get clean and stay clean.
- Say No to Weapons – This is a very common bail condition and may exist even if your crime has nothing to do with a weapon.
- Maintain a Distance – When the crime pertains to a victim, bail conditions may prevent the defendant from coming near an alleged victim until the case is heard. This bail condition is in addition to and connected with any no-contact orders or charges of domestic abuse, stalking, or harassment.
- Employment Issues – Some bail conditions can involve employment. If you have a job, do everything you can to attend to it during this time. Being charged with a crime can mean a cash outlay of thousands of dollars and keeping or getting a job will only help you in several ways. It provides you with enhanced status as far as the judge is concerned too.
- Stay Around – You might also be instructed to stay in the county or state. If you have a passport and have connections in other countries, you might be asked to surrender it until the case is settled.
Speak to your criminal defense lawyer about the above conditions to find out more.
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