What does it mean in San Antonio, TX when you have a bond in a criminal case? After you are arrested there are important things to know about San Antonio, TX bonds. What are the different kinds of bonds you can get? Are PR bonds better than using a bail bondsman? Should you use a lawyer to post your bond? This post will help answer all your questions about San Antonio, TX bonds.
A bond is an amount that person risks if the accused does not show up to court. Usually, that person is a bondsman. Sometimes the State gives you a personal recognizance bond. These bonds are available for minor offenses. An accused can usually get a personal recognizance (PR) bond on a misdemeanor case or on a low level drug possession case, or minor felony accusation. A (PR) bond is a bond that is essentially monitored by the government or the county where you were arrested. Sometimes, these bonds contain conditions that a bailbondsman would not require.
Bonds are set so that the government doesn’t have to keep everyone they accuse of a crime in jail. It is essentially a monetary promise made by a third party that the accused will continue to show up to court while the case is pending.
Usually, bonds come with basic conditions. These conditions include restrictions on travel (don’t leave the State or don’t leave the County), and a requirement that the accused not commit any new offense.
What Is A PR Bond?
When the government is your bondsman it is considered a PR bond. The PR stands for Personal Recognizance. The bad part about a PR bond is that the government can use the benefit of a lower bond fee to disguise requirements that would not be present if you used a bondsman. These include random drug tests, outpatient or inpatient treatment, drug and alcohol classes, parenting classes and many other potential requirements.
What’s The Difference Between A PR Bond And Using A Bondsman?
The first difference is that PR bonds are typically cheaper than a private bondsman. While the government’s price might be cheaper but the quality is lower and it comes at the cost of your freedom. A PR bond is typically 3% of the total bond. A private bondsman, on the other hand, will usually charge 10%. Still, PR bonds are going to have requirements that are going to cost you money, For instance, no one tells you that if you take a drug test you have to pay for the drug test. If you test positive then you have to deal with a pre-trial violation. Sometimes, you will be pressured to resolve your case (plead guilty) so that you avoid having your PR bond revoked. A lot of these PR bond headaches can be avoided by using a bailbondsman.
What Does RWOB Mean? What Does It Mean When Someone Has Been RWOB?
The term RWOB means that your case has been remanded without bond. This usually occurs when someone is on probation, deferred adjudication, or pre-trial release and has had a violation. Recently, when cases have been filed at large (when no one is arrested at the time of the offense) judges have been setting the bond at no bond. Essentially, it is the judge’s way of telling you that he or she is upset and a lawyer needs to approach and explain to the judge why it is you should be given a bond. If you are picked up while you are Remanded Without Bond you will stay in custody until a lawyer approaches the judge to explain why you should be given a bond. A good lawyer will ask you how much of a bond you can afford and will then attempt to convince the judge to put your bond at an amount that you can make. Usually, judges will not set a bond until you are in custody. So, your lawyer needs to make arraignments to get the bond set and walk you through the custody process so that the warrant can be cleared.
Should your lawyer post your bond?
Using your lawyer to post your bond is a good way to save money. At The Locke Law Group, we will many times give discounts on bond fees so that we can act as a bondsman and as a person’s lawyer. If the bond is large we will usually refer our client to one of the bondsman we work with so that we can stay in close touch and make sure that there are no surprises with your San Antonio, TX bonds.