Felony charges are criminal accusations brought against an individual that could result in more than one year of jail time, in addition to other punishments. The term “felony” refers to crimes that are considered more serious and punishable by longer potential sentences.
Examples of felony charges include:
- Murder
- Manslaughter
- Vehicular Homicide
- Arson
- Burglary
- Grand Larceny
- Domestic Violence
- Sexual Assault
- Kidnapping
- Certain Drug Crimes
- Other violent and non-violent offenses
Some crimes may be charged as misdemeanors or felonies depending on specific circumstances of the crime. For instance, DUI, or driving under the influence, may be considered a felony if the defendant has already been convicted of a DUI in the past, been charged with DUI more than four times in the past ten years, caused a serious accident in conjunction with the DUI, or if the DUI caused another person’s death.
Felony charges always result in a higher cost of bail than misdemeanor charges. This higher cost reflects the greater potential punishments and is designed to help ensure that individuals who use bail to get out of jail during their legal process will appear for all of their court proceedings, in light of the serious consequences that a conviction would bring.
What is bail?
Bail is a practice that originated in Old English law to allow someone accused of a crime to get out of jail while a legal case is prosecuted against them. Bail outlines a set of pretrial conditions, including money held by the court system, that allow a person to return to work and life while they work through the process of defending themselves against criminal or other legal charges that could lead to jail time.
The amount of bail money required to get someone out of jail generally corresponds with the charges against them. The California Superior Court in each county lays out a bail schedule for felonies and misdemeanors. This bail schedule identifies a standard amount of bail that a person can pay to get out of jail without having to wait for a bail hearing. If an accused person wishes to have a bail hearing, the presiding judge may set whatever amount of bail they feel is appropriate to the circumstances, including allowing the individual to go free on just their word that they will comply with the court proceedings, a term often referred to as ROR, Released on their Own Recognizance.
Bail for felonies is usually much higher than bail for felonies. In many California counties, there is a separate bail schedule for felony and misdemeanor charges, while in some counties the two are combined.
Orange County Uniform Bail Schedule
Los Angeles County Felony Bail Schedule
San Bernardino County Bail Schedule
Riverside County Uniform Bail Schedule
San Diego County Bail Schedule
San Luis Obispo County Bail Schedule
How Do Bail Bonds Work?
Often the cost of bail is more than a person can pay outright. When this is the case, the defendant is faced with the likelihood of remaining behind bars until their trial can be held, a process that may take months. Bail bonds are a process wherein a bail bond agent or company makes payment to the court on the defendant’s behalf. In return for this service, the defendant pays the bail bond agent a fee, typically 10% of the total cost of bail.
The bail bond agent files paperwork with the court promising to pay the full amount of bail if the defendant fails to comply with all of the terms of their pre-trial release. This paperwork is called a bail bond and amounts to a legal contract between the court and the bail bond agent. The defendant is still obligated to show up for hearings and court proceedings and he or she, along with a cosigner, will need to sign a contract with the bail bond agent stating that they intend to comply with the terms of their pretrial release and will reimburse the bail bond agent if they fail to do so. Failure to comply will result in the defendant being returned to jail and the bail bond being forfeited.
What is a felony?
Felonies are crimes for which the potential punishment is more than one year in jail. Felonies include crimes such as murder, manslaughter, homicide, kidnapping, rape, sexual assault, certain types of theft, some DUIs, and others.
Felony charges carry a higher potential punishment, including more than a year in jail. Because the potential punishments are greater, the amount of bail required to get out of jail for felony charges is much higher than for misdemeanor charges.
How is a felony different from a misdemeanor?
Misdemeanor charges result from criminal actions or suspected criminal actions that are generally considered less serious than felony charges. Misdemeanors are punishable by less than a year in jail and carry lower bail requirements to get out of jail. Felony charges are more serious and carry more lengthy jail time if convicted.
Some charges may be filed as either a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances. For instance, a DUI in California is generally considered a misdemeanor but can be charged as a felony if the defendant has been charged with DUI three other times in the past ten years or has ever been convicted of a DUI in the past. Many drug crimes can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor depending on the amount of drugs involved, the ages of other people involved, and other circumstances.
What is a felony charge?
A felony charge is a criminal charge resulting from the suspected criminal activity for which a conviction would result in more than a year in jail, among other potential punishments. Felony charges generally refer to crimes that are considered more serious than misdemeanor charges and carry a higher potential punishment and higher standard bail amounts.
How much is bail for a felony?
Bail is set by the Superior Court in each county. Bail for specific crimes will vary, depending on the severity of the crime and the potential punishment that a conviction would bring. Felony bail can range from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Examples of felony bail include:
Felony Bail
Please visit our blog for more information about obtaining bail bonds for domestic violence charges, DUI, drug charges, and other felony charges.
For help in calculating the total amount of bail needed to get out of jail in California, please call Mr. Nice Guy Bail Bonds. One of the professional, licensed bail bondsmen will be more than happy to help you calculate your bail and make a plan for getting out of jail quickly.
What happens if I don’t bail?
If you are arrested and choose not to pay bail, there are a couple of possible outcomes.
- You could stay in jail until your trial can be held, a process that may take months or even years.
- You could ask the judge to release you on your own recognizance, or ROR. The judge may or may not grant this.
- You could wait for a bail hearing and the judge may reduce the amount of bail required to get out of jail.
- You could wait for a bail hearing, ask the judge for a reduced amount of bail or ROR, but the judge decides that you cannot have bail under any circumstances, sometimes called “Remand”.
Bail hearings may take place within a few hours of arrest but generally take a few days to occur. During a bail hearing, the prosecution will present the charges against you and recommend a bail amount or ask the judge to deny you bail. You or your attorney will have an opportunity to present your side and ask for reduced or no bail. Then the judge will make a decision regarding the amount of bail required to get out of jail.
If the judge grants bail and you have the cash to pay it, you will be allowed to make your bail payment to the court and go free. If the cost of bail is more than you can afford, however, you may require the services of a bail bond agent to help you get out of jail or remain behind bars.
For help bailing out of jail in California, call Mr. Nice Guy Bail Bonds at (844) 400-2245.
How much is bail for a felony?
Bail for specific crimes will vary, depending on the severity of the crime and the potential punishment that a conviction would bring. Felony bail can range from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Felony Bond Amount
Felony bail bond amounts are based on the bail schedule used by each county in California. The cost of felony bail bonds is based on the cost of bail and set by the California State Legislature. California law requires that bail bond agents charge a rate of 10% or more for bail bonds. In some circumstances, discounts are allowed by law.
Mr. Nice Guy Bail Bonds goes above and beyond to find ways to save clients money on felony bail bonds.
- Nice Guy uses a surety company that provides a discount on bail bonds in certain cases. If the defendant retains an attorney and pays the fee within the first 72-hours, Mr. Nice Guy can discount the bail bond premium to as low as 7%. No one offers a lower rate.
- Nice Guy honors our military men and women and offers a military discount for bail bonds.
- Nice Guy Bail Bonds offers payment plans that require as little as 1% down.
- Nice Guy never charges hidden fees like other bail bond companies are known to do. You'll never be charged notary fees, travel expenses, “posting fees,” or processing fees.
- Nice Guy doesn't charge additional premiums such as annual premiums or late file premiums. They also don't charge interest on bail bond financing or any other fees.
There are no lower rates on bail bonds anywhere in Southern California. Mr. Nice Guy Bail Bonds is your lowest cost felony bail bonds provider in Santa Ana, CA.
How much are bail bonds for a felony?
State law governs the cost of felony bail bonds. The State of California requires that bail bond agents charge 10% of the total cost of bail. However, there are cases where a bail bond company can reduce this cost if specific circumstances exist.
Mr. Nice Guy Bail Bonds makes every effort to help people get out of jail for as little money upfront as possible.
