State Bonds for Pretrial Inmate Release in Florida

What is a State Bond?

Most crimes committed are state crimes and require a state bail bond in order to be released from jail during pretrial. A state crime is any offense that breaks a law put into place by the state legislature. State crimes cover a long list of offenses and are investigated and administered by state law enforcement and municipal courts, as well as state and city attorneys. Crimes grouped as state would be offenses in violation to state laws, such as domestic violence, assault and battery, stalking, and homicide.

State bonds are frequently premeditated with county bond schedules where an amount is preselected based upon the type of crime committed. This allows for pretrial inmates to post bail quickly after booking if eligible. Most defendants without an extensive criminal history are eligible for pretrial release with a state bond. You can expect to pay around ten percent for a state bail bond in Florida.

HOW IS BAIL DETERMINED?

Some Crimes Are Considered Both State and Federal

Certain crimes are considered both state and federal crimes. Bank robbery is a good example. Under those circumstances, state and federal prosecutors first have to agree on which court system the defendant will be tried.

In some cases, the defendant could be prosecuted twice.  Though the Department of Justice’s guidelines were set up to prevent prosecutors from charging a defendant a second time for a state crime he was already sentenced for, there are no restrictions preventing the federal courts to do just that. There are many other types of violations that can be prosecuted in both federal and state courts. Some of the most common are crimes involving firearms, child pornography and identity theft.

How Do State and Federal Bail Bonds Differ?

Bail bonds for state crimes cost less than bonds for federal crimes. Additionally, most pretrial defendants accused of state crimes are able to be released shortly after being booked and fingerprinted because the county courts (usually) use bond schedules that predetermine bond amounts based on the type of crime committed. This allows the defendant to post bond without waiting to see a magistrate judge. On average, bail bond agents charge ten percent for state bail bonds and fifteen percent for federal.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR PRETRIAL RELEASE IN FLORIDA?