This may seem to be a silly question. If you are in jail, you really want to get out as soon as possible, right? The answer is – It depends. There are some basic rules when deciding to bail out a client.

Now is the right time to post bail when:

1. The client will be deported if he/she is not bailed immediately.
2. The client will earn more money while out on bail than the cost of the bailbond.
3. The client will lose a good job that he will be able to keep if he bails out.
4. The client has children or dependants he/she must support.
5. The client will suffer a substantial financial loss if he/she remains in custody: such as losing a home, or significant business transaction.
6. The client must get out of custody in order to assist in his legal defense.
7. Your lawyer tells you to bail out.
8. You are in a position to post cash bail.
9. You get a great deal on bail.

The holidays are a tough time to be in jail. Inmates are often scared while they are in custody and put a great deal of pressure on family members to post bail, especially this time of year. Most of us have never been in jail and don’t understand the difficult time that inmates in local jails can actually face. Inmates are often threatened while in custody, pressured to do things they wouldn’t normally do, and certainly subjected to deplorable conditions in jail.

Inmates are often “tested” by other inmates. Especially when they first arrive in jail, inmates try to push each other and see what they can get away with.

From such fear come the many phone calls begging for bail. Parents and family members who are not familiar with the criminal justice system often try to scrape together every nickel they have to post bail and then have no money left to hire an attorney or pay for the cost of a private investigator or expert witness, or pay their rent or mortgage.

You should talk to your lawyer BEFORE posting bail. Maybe bail can be reduced, maybe the case can be settled, or maybe the defendant can stick it out in custody and that money can be used to hire a lawyer or at least for living expenses after the client is released from custody. Remember, inmates accrue credit for the time they are in custody before the case is over. That credit can greatly reduce a sentence in a case. This is what we can “time served”.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.