As of today, some 176,000 people are locked up in Florida jails. 53,000 of this number are in local jails, 99,000 in state prisons, and 19,000 in federal prisons. 2,900 of this number are youth, while 2,100 are in involuntary commitment.
If this sounds bad, it gets worse: not all of these people will succeed in getting bail. And there are several reasons for this. One of the major reasons is people not knowing that they can fall back on bail bond agencies such as Lee Calhoun Bail Bonds to post bail for them.
Many others, who are aware of the resources and do post bail, end up making an error or two.
And it all goes haywire from there.
Mistake I: Lying
Lying is bad per se, but it becomes an even greater offense when you’re already in deep water. It impedes your credibility, yes, but that isn’t all it does. You also have to contend with compromising your case and violating your bail terms if you do.
Whether it is to the bail bond agency you have approached or the court, never lie to them—no matter how harmless the lie appears to be.
And we don’t just mean a lying quip. We mean paperwork, documentation, fake numbers, and addresses—a lot goes into the mix. Trust us: as a bail bond agency that has been working in Starke, Florida, for the past 15 years, we’ve seen it all.
Mistake II: Absence
Think of missing a court appearance as a day of absence in school: only, you’re marked absent, your bail is revoked, an outstanding warrant is possibly issued, and you lose all your credibility.
It also leads to further penalties and if you have a cosigner, they’ll lose their collateral. It’s the worst possible thing that could happen.
Mistake III: Ignorance
When you’re granted bail—whether you post it yourself or an agency does it for you—make sure you’re reading all the conditions that come attached with it. This is, after all, a conditional release, and you are expected to keep up your part of the bargain.
Mistake IV: Re-arrest
Being out on bail is a chance at redemption. If you go back to your old ways and end up being arrested again, it won’t be a breeze. Judges are generally wary of repeat offenders, and even if a bail bond agency posts bail for you, there’s good reason to expect that you’ll be handed a harsher sentence or face a greater bail amount this time around.
Take our suggestion, and keep up with all the facets of proper etiquette while you’re out on bail. Read the conditions, be up-front and transparent with your bail bondsman, appear for all your hearings, and behave. And if you’ve got any more questions, feel free to call us