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Bail Bonds for Alemeda County Sheriff's Department
Bailstop offers complete, quick, and confidential bail bonds service for Alemeda County Sheriff's Department in Oakland, CA.
We are open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week (24/7). We're here to help. Our easy payment plans
allow you to make bail without having to sacrifice your home or other assets. Give us a call at 800-980-BAIL
(2245) and we'll help you stay out of jail until you get your day in court.
Call Us Now (24 hours per day, 7 days per week) at 800-980-BAIL (2245).
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How Bail Works
Posting of a bail bond. This process involves a contractual undertaking
guaranteed by a bail agent and the individual posting bail. The bail agent
guarantees to the court that the defendant will appear in court each and
every time the judge requires them to.
For this service, the defendant is charged a percentage of the bail amount.
Before being released the defendant or a relative or friend of the
defendant, typically contacts a bail agent to arrange for the posting of
bail. Prior to the posting of a bail bond, the defendant or a co-signer must
guarantee that they will pay the full amount of bail if the defendant does
not appear in court.
Typically, a family member or a close friend of the defendant will post bail
and cosign. Collateral is not always required for a person to be bailed from
jail. Often a person can be bailed from jail on the signature of a friend or
family member. Cosigners typically need to be working and either own or rent
a home in the same area for some time.
After an agreement is reached, the bail agent posts a bond for the amount of
the bail, to guarantee the defendant’s return to court.
If the defendant "skips", the cosigner is immediately responsible for the
full amount of the bail. If the defendant is located and arrested by the
bail agent the cosigner is responsible for all expenses the bail agent
incurs while looking for the defendant.
The five basic release options available to an arrestee are, surety bond,
release on his or her own recognizance(O.R.), release on citation ("Cite
Out"),property bond and cash bail. |
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Cash Bond |
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To be released on
cash bail, an individual must post with the court the total amount of the
bail, in cash, to secure his or her return to court on an appointed date,
and thereafter until the case is concluded. Full cash bonds provide a
powerful incentive for defendants to appear at trial. If the defendant shows
up for his/her scheduled court appearances, the cash is returned to him/her.
If s/he fails to appear, the cash bond is forfeited to the court. |
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Surety Bond |
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An alternative to
cash bail is the posting of a surety bond. This process involves a
contractual undertaking guaranteed by an admitted insurance company having
adequate assets to satisfy the face value of the bond. The bail agent
guarantees to the court that they will pay the bond forfeiture if a
defendant fails to appear for their scheduled court appearances. The bail
agent's guarantee is made through a surety company and/or by the pledge of
property owned by the agent.
For this service, the defendant is charged a premium. To be released
pursuant to the posting of a surety bond, the arrestee, or a relative or
friend of the arrestee, typically contacts a bail agent, an individual
licensed by the State of California to post surety bonds. Prior to the
posting of a surety bond, the bail agent undertakes a detailed interview of
the proposed guarantor of the surety bond, as well as of the arrestee and
relatives of the arrestee, as part of the underwriting procedure for bond.
By involving the family and friends, as well as through the acceptance of
collateral, the bail agent can be reasonably assured that an individual
released on surety bond will appear at his or her appointed court date, as
required until the case is adjudicated.
After this procedure is concluded, if an agreement is reached, the bail
agent posts a bond for the amount of the bail, to guarantee the arrestee's
return to court.
With his money on the line, a bail agent has a financial interest in
supervising bailees, and ensuring that they appear for trial. If a defendant
"skips," the bail agent has time and the financial incentive to find him/her
and bring him/her in. Significantly, commercial bail bond agents profit only
when the defendant shows up for trial. Judges acknowledge that bail agents
have highly efficient methods to get defendants to court. |
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Own Recognizance (O.R.) |
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Another method of
release pending trial is through a county or law enforcement administered
pre-trial release program. Usually, the staff members of these programs
interview individuals in custody and make recommendations to the court
regarding release of these individuals on their own recognizance (i.e.,
without any financial security to insure the interviewee's return).
The interview process is often conducted over the telephone, with little
inquiry to the individual's background to determine whether the detainee is
likely to appear in court and with virtually no verification of information
provided by the detainee. Since no money or bond is posted to secure the
detainee's appearance in court, he or she faces no personal economic
hardship from his or her conscious failure to appear. |
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Citation Release |
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This procedure,
known as the "Cite Out," involves the issuance of a citation by the
arresting officer to the arrestee, informing the arrestee that he or she
must appear at an appointed court date.
The Cite Out usually occurs immediately after an individual is arrested. As
a consequence of the failure to follow complete booking procedures, the true
identity and background of most individuals released on citation is never
established. This results in the release of numerous arrestees who may have
outstanding bench warrants pending or who may present a significant danger
to society.
Accordingly, in these cases involving Cite Outs, the arrestee may never be
placed in custody, and like the own recognizance release, such an arrestee's
appearance in court depends exclusively upon the integrity of the alleged
felon and his or her voluntarily returning to court. |
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Property Bond |
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In rare cases an
individual may obtain release from custody by means of posting a property
bond with the court. Here the court records a lien on property, to secure
the bail amount. If the arrestee subsequently fails to appear at the
scheduled court date, the court may institute foreclosure proceedings
against the property to obtain the forfeited bail amount. |
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