Bail Versus Bond Forfeited In Contra Costa
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A bond forfeiture occurs when a person is required to show up for court on either a personal bond or a surety bond, and they fail to show up for that court date. Some judges will give a bit of leeway, especially if that person has an attorney who can argue for them as to why they were not able to make it.
If a person can't make bail in Sacramento, they must remain in jail until their case eventually goes to trial. The so-called “pretrial detention” period — the time between when a person is arrested and their case reaches a courtroom for a trial — can take anywhere from several weeks to several years.
If you start communication with both your bondsman and the court as soon as possible, your court date will, in most cases, be reset, and the forfeiture of your bond will be recalled. However, if you do not get back in touch with your bondsman or the courts, the warrant for your arrest will remain active.
Bond forfeiture means that the person loses the guarantee made by the bail bond company on their behalf. There are some circumstances in which the judge might excuse the accused for missing court and bail or bond can be reinstated.
If you were arrested in California, this state allows the reinstatement of bail bonds. There are many reasons you may violate the terms of your initial agreement – some of which can be out of your control, like a sudden sickness.
Generally, a bond forfeiture would just revoke liberty and have the defendant return to jail pending trial. So no, a bond forfeiture is not analogous to "guilt" or conviction. in lieu of conviction is "in place of" or "instead of," so alone, that is not a conviction either.
Bond Forfeitures / Bail Forfeitures Leave a Criminal Record Even though not it is not a criminal conviction, the original record of your arrest or charges filed against you will stay on the public record for anyone to see, which is easy to find these days on the internet with a couple of clicks of the mouse.
The legal implications of bail bond forfeiture can be severe. Beyond the financial loss, the defendant may face additional charges for failing to appear in court, complicating their legal situation.
