In 2002, Ru-El Sailor was convicted of murdering Omar Clark. Sailor allegedly shot Clark to death. His sentence: 25 years to life in prison. Thankfully, the Ohio Innocence Project — through mountains of research, evidence, and testimonies — were able to connect the dots and prove Sailor innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Stories like Sailor's are all too common in the justice system. You might dismiss them as rare, but you could probably do a Google News search every week and find a newly-unearthed example or two. 

When Wrongfully Accused, It's a Societal Problem

It's easy to dismiss stories like Sailor's with a cavalier attitude. We convince ourselves that, while he may not have been guilty of that crime, he had to have been guilty of something to be close enough to the heat where police could pin it on him. 

Never mind there are countless cases of mistaken identity that end with horrific convictions and years-long stays in a state penitentiary. This type of attitude is not one that belongs in a civilized society. If you're innocent of a crime, you should not be doing the time. And if you are doing the time, that means someone else is getting away with something. 

POSS CS PG 2 >= 1G<4GBond Amount: $75000; Bond No.: Kaufman Bond Height: 6'; 180 LbsRace: White; Brown Hair, EyesDate of Birth: October 25, 1985; Age: 32

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The bail amount a judge will set for a defendant can seem like an arbitrary number, but there is a certain logic to it. Courts are known to base the amount on three factors: 

• The severity of the crime of which the defendant is accused
• Flight risk of the defendant
• The danger of the defendant to themselves and/or others

While these factors hold true, there is another factor that weighs in thanks to the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which dictates courts must not set excessive bail. As such, the financial means of the accused must weigh in at some point. 

What Is Excessive Bail? 

Unfortunately, 'excessive bail' is about as descriptive as the Eighth Amendment gets. Courts have worked through case law to bring the meaning a little more into focus. Basically, excessive bail is anything so high there's little chance the accused can actually pay it. 

Posting bail when under arrest for a serious offense can seem staggering. Depending on the charges, the amount can run into many thousands — even hundreds of thousands — of dollars. 

But some of the hesitation to post bail emanates from not fully knowing how the process works. When a bond is set at $500,000, for instance, posting places one on the hook for just 10 percent of the total. 

From there, it's up to the accused to make the court date to ensure the full amount of the bond isn't triggered. Of course, $50,000 is still a lot of money, and numbers like that could discourage doing anything at all. But that, too, can be a serious mistake. In the following article, we'll show you how by examining some of the unintended consequences. Let's begin. 

No-showing a court date creates a nightmare scenario for more than just the accused. The most obvious problem to arise is the money issue, but it goes well beyond that. In the following article, we'll be discussing all the ways that failure to appear can ruin your life and relationships. Let's begin. 

Friends and Family

Many times, people accused of serious crimes rely on friends and family to post the 10 percent required for bonding out. That means if your bail bond is set at $25,000, a loved one put up $2,500 on your behalf, provided you were unable to pay for it yourself. 

No-showing your court date means they lose their money and the full amount of the bond is due. Beyond the obvious financial impact of that, you've likely lost a friend or family member you could count on to be there for you during troubled times. 

In the US, judges usually prefer granting bail to keep with the code of law one is innocent until proven guilty. But that doesn't always mean it's a slam dunk. Sometimes the circumstances of a crime or the circumstances of the accused's life can lead to higher bail amounts or flat-out denial. 

Repeat offenders are particularly susceptible to the more stringent rulings. But what exactly does the court look for when making these determinations? In the following article, we'll be discussing considerations for when it isn't your first offense. Let's begin. 

A History of Offending

When you have more than one arrest on your record, it automatically increases the odds that you won't be granted bail or that the amount set will be so high you can't even afford the 10 percent bond-posting fee that most bondsmen require. That said, there are plenty of cases where your past doesn't factor in. For instance, if you have a record but it isn't one filled with serious or violent felonies, then the court likely will treat your current charge as a first offense. 

Bail bonds are not an exact science. Depending on the charge you face, it can be anywhere from minuscule to too-expensive-to-afford even by the 10 percent posting standards. 

Sexual assault is one of the more serious charges that will give a judge pause before he decides a case is bond-eligible. While a recent sexual assault bail amount in Spain was set at the U.S. equivalent of just $7,000, our country — and especially, the state of Texas — takes the charge more serious. 

Even so, there are a variety of factors in play before a final amount can be determined (or if the case will be bail-eligible at all). Let's have a look at each one.

The ability to get out of jail when arrested is the only one that matters when you are faced with incarceration. If you're new to it, all you can think about is how you don't belong. How all the obligations of home and work are going unchecked.

You're not even thinking about a legal strategy. Only how your life might be falling apart without you. Fortunately, there are several ways you can get out of jail. Here are the most common:

1. You Are Released Without Bail

For light misdemeanors, particularly first-time offenses, it's not uncommon for a judge to allow your release without setting bail. Generally, the crime you committed must be non-violent, and you should be relatively stable in your home and professional life. Don't expect this outcome if your offense put others in danger.

A lot rides on the mandatory court appearance following an arrest and subsequent bail. From the perspective of the accused, no-shows can create a lot of problems legally, financially, and personally. If you do manage to post bail, here's what is at stake should you fail to comply with the hearing date.

Personal Relationships

Many times individuals who post bail are unable to do so without help from a friend or family member. Failure to show for a hearing can result in forfeiture of the bond, which means your friend or loved one loses their money, and a warrant is placed for your arrest. We'll get into the forfeiture and arrest aspects in a moment, but for now, let the personal aspect resonate.

Betraying a loved one in such a manner can create future problems, especially considering the high rate of recidivism. According to the National Institute of Justice, more than three-fourths of individuals arrested for a crime are rearrested within five years of release. Failure to show up will ensure that person is only there for you once.

The cost of bail can seem staggering if you don't know how the system works. And truthfully, it could be. Bail costs are set by the court, and they're contingent on the nature of the crime as well as the suspect's probability as a flight risk.

If you have exhibited a history of criminal activity, that could give judges pause to grant any bail whatsoever. A best-case scenario would mean bail that's higher than normal.

On the flip side, if you're accused of an isolated offense and your record is otherwise spotless with a stable work history, bail is more likely to be granted. However, the nature of the crime (murder, for instance) could result in a rather large sum.

How long will it take to get released from jail is one of the more common questions you will come across when researching the bail process. It's understandable. Jail is a nasty place where your freedoms go to die, and any time there as a 'guest' is too much.

When you're in jail, you march to someone else's orders and life as you knew it on the outside changes in some not so flattering ways.

• You miss work.
• You lose money. (And maybe your job.)
• Family responsibilities go unchecked.
• You could even lose friendships.

So if you are arrested, what can you expect?

Contempt of court, in simple terms, is when you disrespect the authority of the court. That sounds rather arbitrary, but certain factors must be in place before you can be found guilty of such a crime.

(And yes, you have to be found guilty of it. Judges can't just exercise this authority willy-nilly, contrary to popular belief.)

If you do any of the following, you're likely to be 'held' or 'found' in contempt:

• You fail to obey a lawful order of the court. (The most common.)
• You show disrespect for the judge. (Less common, though it makes for one heck of a viral YouTube video.)
• You disrupt the proceedings by openly defying or disrespecting the judge. (See defendant flipping judge the bird in the previous video.)
• You publish material when forbidden from doing so or fail to provide said material when ordered. (Usually, contempt of court applies here when it impedes the ability to carry out a fair trial.)

If a Texas judge holds you in contempt of court and you're found guilty, you will face one of two scenarios: a fine or jail. If you fail to pay the fine, you could be held in further contempt, thus increasing the severity of the punishment.

The threat of jail time has fueled many a nightmare since America's prison system emerged, and since 1991, our Doc's Bail Bonds Farmers Branch location near Denton has helped to quell some of those fears.

Give Doc's a call should you require bonding services at the Farmers Branch Detention Center. Our Denton office serves that location, and we are located close to the site, allowing us access to key personnel and working knowledge that will make for a smoother overall service to incarcerated persons and their families.

How We Work With The Farmers Branch Justice Center

The Farmers Branch Justice Center is the technical name for the building where detention services are managed. The site employs 16 detention officers overseen by Lt. Chris Damours. Damours' procedures and employees work well with Doc's Bail Bonds, and everyone there takes their work and the safety of the inmates very seriously.

Posting bail can be a confusing process when you are unfamiliar with local procedures, locations, and personnel, and that's where Doc's Flower Mound Bail Bonds office near Denton can help.

Contact Doc's if you or your loved one find yourself in the Flower Mound Jail. We have an office nearby, and we are plugged into how Chief Andy Kancel and his staff operate. We maintain an intimate knowledge of how the jail does business, who is on duty, and what they expect from you.

The First Step Doc's Flower Mound Bail Bonds Will Take

The Flower Mound Jail is housed at the same location as the Flower Mound Police Department at 4150 Kirkpatrick Lane in the sprawling Dallas suburb. If you or a loved one is arrested, this is your next stop.

Hiring a bail bondsman can, for somebody facing the prospect of going to jail or watching a loved one go to jail, make all the difference between stress and humiliation and freedom and joy. However, this is only if you know how to identify a reputed and professional bondsman at this difficult time.

To find a company like Docs Bail Bonds, we have a very old base of satisfied clients and very few complaints or grievances, you first need to understand how Texas regulates bail bondsman and the complaints.

Unlike other types of bonds offering insurance and allied services, bail bonds—formally described as Criminal Court Appearance bonds—are not regulated by the Texas Department of Insurance. In fact, the Texas Insurance Code expressly exempts bail bonds from being regulated by its provisions.

Early in 2017, the Dallas City Council approved a program that is known by the name of Marijuana Cite-and-Release. It was officially approved in April. Though it lessens the legal consequences of being caught with marijuana, it is not considered to be decriminalization.

The policy was put into effect on Friday, December 1st. It states that some individuals are able to walk away from being caught with marijuana, with only a ticket. It is still illegal in both Dallas and Texas as a whole. This means that people cannot just purchase marijuana and smoke it as they please.

The way that this works is that individuals who live in the Dallas County part of the city who is stopped within the area with four ounces or less of the drug will only be given a citation. They will not be arrested, and may not have to serve any jail time at all. This only applies to a person who has not had any other convictions, does not hold any outstanding warrants, is at least 17 years of age, and has either a driver's license or state ID for Texas.

Though the individual can walk with just a ticket, it is still the case that possessing marijuana is considered a Class A or Class B misdemeanor offense.

The bail bond is an integral part of the criminal justice because it is just not possible to keep all accused persons in detention until completion of the trial where they are found guilty and sentenced or pronounced innocent and set free. The bail bond involves the accused submitting a financial bond, which will lapse if he/she does not show up for the court proceedings.

However, some parts of Texas have come under the scanner for setting bonds so high that it becomes impossible for the accused to post bail and avoid detention. A federal judge recently declared the Harris County bail system to be unconstitutional, which has prompted Dallas county commissioners to initiate steps to revamp the system.

It is expected that those accused of crimes and facing detention will find it within their financial reach to post bail and avoid detention. An excessively-strict bail bond regime in Dallas is ironic considering there was a time when the Dallas County Pre-trial Release program was criticized for being too lenient and for allowing detainees to post bail at excessively-low bonds.

Locked up in The Colony city jail and need a Bail Bond? Doc's Bail Bonds can help!

The Colony Jail Bail Bond Services

Our firm can help you post bail in virtually every town or city in the North Texas region. We have a 24-hour service in McKinney, which is the seat of the Denton County jail and are just a phone call or email away from helping you secure your freedom.

Our 24×7 service covers all major cities and towns in the county including The Colony, Frisco, Addison, Plano, and Richardson. We even have an office in Richardson located near the City Jail, which means you can choose the office located closed to The Colony or nearby towns to post bail with minimal delays and hassles.

We can bond you right out of the Allen City Jail so you don't get sent up to County. Give us a call.

Bond Service Coverage For the Allen City Jail

The city of Allen in Collin County in Texas is one of the three cities in the county that has a jail for prisoners guilty of committing Class C misdemeanors. The Municipal court of Allen is the adjudicating authority for fines-only offenses committed within its jurisdiction.

If the police and court at in the city of Allen have jurisdiction over the offense, then you may have to post bail with the policy authorities in the city to free your loved one.

When applying for a bail bond you need to know that there are three types of bail bonds in the State of Texas. Bail amounts are is decided during a bail bond hearing. If the judge determines you are flight risk or a danger to the community, he will decide on the amount of bail money needed to secure your freedom. After the bond amount has been decided, you need to find a bail bond agency if you don't have the amount required.

There are three types of bonds that Texas courts will accept: cash bail bonds, property bail bonds, and surety bail bonds.

What You Need To Know About the Types of Bail Bonds in Texas

Cash Bail Bonds

Cash bail is the simplest way of paying for bail, however, it is not the most affordable. This is just where you pay the entire bail amount with cash that you have in savings. With this type of payment, you do not need to involve a bail bondsman. As mentioned before, this is not the most affordable way of paying bail. If you do not have the full amount of the bail in savings, it will not be possible for you to use this type of payment. You will need to look at other options in order to pay for the bail.