Bail Hearing And How a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help

If you were charged with a felony, in most cases you are going to be taken to custody and will have to wait for the trial in a special holding facility. However, prior to the trial itself, a bail hearing will take place to determine whether or not the person is eligible for bailout. And if a person is in fact eligible for bail, during the hearing the amount of bail is going to be set.

With that said, during the bail hearing, the judge is going to consider two main factors that will determine whether or not a person will receive bail. The risk of flight and the danger to the society. It is important to understand that the prosecutor is going to do everything in his power to make sure that the bail is set high or that there is no bail at all. This is one of the many reasons why it is crucial to select right Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys, who know how the law works and who will know how to deal with the situation properly. After all, without all the professional skills and expertise you will not be able to handle the matter on your own.

Still, how do the above-mentioned factors affect the hearing? Well, the first one – risk of flight implies that a person may attempt to run after being released on bail. However, a good Los Angeles criminal defense attorney can assure the judge and the prosecution that a person will not run, since he or she has strong bounds to the local community, a dependable job, all family members nearby and that he or she is an active member of society in general. In order for you to better understand how it works let use review a simple example:

Let us say that the judge is hesitant to set bail to James. Nevertheless, the James’ lawyer is offering plenty of evidence that James has no reasons to run. He was living in the state for his entire life. All of his friends and loved ones are there. He has a good job and he is one of the most active members of the community thus far. On the other hand, Jill, who has no loved ones in the state, who was unemployed for quite a while and who rarely left the house, is much more likely to run, so the judge will not want to set bail for her.

Second factor, danger to society, implies that a person may prove to be dangerous for other people after being released on bail. For instance, a person who committed identity theft is less likely to pose any physical threat to others, whereas a person, who has committed a murder, is not eligible for bail for he or she may be very dangerous and could cause further problems.

One way or the other, it is good to have a professional Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer who will help you during the bail hearing with everything he can.