The 8th Amendment protects the people from excessive bail, yet bail still does seem excessive to pretty much everyone. $10,000, $25,000, $1 million to be released? Yes, this is pricey, but let’s look at this objectively.
The judge looks at the following factors when deciding a bail amount:
- The likelihood the defendant will flee
- The seriousness of the committed crime
- The defendant’s ties to the community, such as family and employment
- The weight of evidence against the defendant
- The defendant’s ability to pay the bail amount
The multi-thousand price for bail is expensive, but it must still be set high so that the defendant does indeed show up in court as he or she is ordered to; this bail is refundable if they oblige to all conditions of their release.
So if you were arrested and given $50,000 bail, wouldn’t you want to get that entire sum of money back?
An alternative to paying the full bail amount is to pay for a bail bond, which you can apply for by calling California Bail Bond Store Service at 800-793-2245. To secure a bail bond, you pay the low premium to California over a period of time. This premium is not refundable, but does save you from having to pay 90% of the bail in one big payment.