If you are arrested and facing criminal charges, you can spend the time between arrest and your trial behind bars. This is, of course, unless you are given the opportunity to be released by the courts.
Being able to avoid incarceration for any period of time can be crucial, so it is not uncommon for people to do whatever they can to seek release after arrest. For many people, this will involve paying a bail amount that is ordered to ensure you will continue to show up for court appearances after you have been released. You need to understand, however, that there are conditions of bail with which you need to comply.
The conditions of bail vary and depend on the specific details of each case. However, generally speaking, people will be either forbidden from doing anything that could exacerbate the situation or required to perform certain duties to stay in good standing with the courts.
For instance, let’s imagine a scenario where you are arrested and facing charges for possession of methamphetamine. If you are released on bail, you can be prohibited from:
- Leaving the state
- Committing a crime
- Using drugs or alcohol
- Engaging with certain people
- Violating a set curfew
You may also be required to:
- Secure or keep a job
- Live with a designated person
- Participate in treatment or counseling programs
- Comply with drug testing requirements
- Submit to electronic monitoring
Should you successfully comply with all these conditions, some or all of the bail amount paid can be returned.
However, if you miss even one court appearance or violate just one condition of your release, you not only forfeit that bail money, you can also face immediate and harsh consequences. These can include financial, emotional and criminal repercussions that cannot be undone.
In our next post, we will look at what can happen when conditions of a release are violated.