After your arrest, the first court hearing you will undergo is the bail hearing. This will determine whether you will be able to post bail and how much your bail amount will be. It's important to properly prepare for your hearing so you can have yourself bailed out with the help of a bail bondsman.

How Bail is Determined

The judge will determine bail based on a variety of factors. For example, it might be determined by how serious your crime is, whether you are considered to be a flight risk, whether you have failed to appear in court in the past, whether there are other existing warrants, whether you have family ties in the area, and whether you have steady employment. The judge wants to know if you'll have a reason to want to remain in the area.

The bail hearing will usually be between you, the judge, and the prosecuting attorney. You will be allowed to have a defense attorney sit with you throughout the bond hearing because you have the right to representation.

How to Improve Your Odds

Friends and family members may be able to assist you in providing documentation that might reflect well on your character during the hearing. For example, you might want to provide documents that can demonstrate how you participate in the community or in your child's education. These documents can help establish that you are not a flight risk and are responsible.

While the judge will focus on the facts of the case while trying to determine what to set your bail amount at, making a great impression, being polite, and standing up straight can go a long way toward impressing a judge. 

How to Make the Bail Amount More Affordable

Once your bail has been determined, you will be allowed to contact a bail bondsman who can assist you in helping you post bail. You will usually want to call a friend or family member who can help you with this process. The bondsman will agree to post bail based on how much collateral is put up or the credit score of the individual bailing you out of jail. 

If the bail amount is still unaffordable, you may be able to file a motion to have it reduced. Then, you will be able to use the time you have outside of prison to work on building a more solid case.

Contact a bondsman service near you to learn more.