May 21, 2012

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What to Expect If You Go to Jail And How to Get Out With the Help of a Bail Bondsman

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Tonya Page-Rynerson -

Being arrested and going through the booking process is a stressful situation. Most people are afraid of being placed in a holding cell with strangers, and rightfully so. However, although there is some caution needed, most people are being held for non-violent crimes: writing bad checks, prostitution, drug possession and theft. Only a small percentage is charged with violent crimes.

While awaiting your bail bondsman, keep in mind that you are being held with strangers who could have issues of their own that might make them emotionally unstable. It’s advisable to be on your guard, but with a friendly attitude.

A few tips while incarcerated:

� Don’t make any statements that could be derogatory towards religious or ethnic groups

� Don’t volunteer any personal information

� Don’t be too friendly and congenial

� Don’t give the impression that you are “too good” to be in jail

� Don’t let your guard down

� Don’t do anything that might raise suspicion from the jailers

� Don’t “act out” and be disruptive

� Don’t act scared or timid

Bail Bonds Costs and Release Options

The bail bond amount is based on the charges, and set by the judges in a County Bail Schedule. Depending on the details and severity of the crime, bail schedules have different bail amounts. For example, a DUI charge in LA County has a $15,000 bail and a DUI charge that involves an accident is set at $50,000.

California’s average bail amount is $25,000, and in many cases it can be higher. Most people don’t have that amount of money and will need to hire a licensed bail bond agent. Professional bail bondsmen are very experienced in this area, they know the jail systems and bail schedules, and can walk you through the entire process and handle release procedures. The jail release process can happen much sooner if a bail bondsman is contacted as soon as possible.

Only judges are allowed to lower, remove or raise the bail amount. Keep in mind that if you don’t bail out and decide to stay in jail and wait to see a judge, that will take three business days The judge will be considering many factors to determine your bail amount. They consider the severity of the offense, whether or not you are a danger to the community, amount of jail time should you be found guilty, your past offenses or arrest record, and your ties to the community. The judge could lower the bail, but they could also raise it or deny bail all together.

Payment for a bail agent is 10% of the full bail amount, which is regulated by the California Department of Insurance. Be aware of bail bondsmen who misrepresent themselves and who are willing to charge you less or only charge you a 5% bail bond amount. This means they are violating a California law and could be very dangerous for you. This should be a “red flag” and warrants some serious consideration about their ethical behavior. After all, do you want to hire someone who is not following the legal procedures of getting you released, and the possibility that you may never see your collateral again?

Getting arrested, spending a night in jail and the whole booking process is never fun. As they say, knowledge is power. Knowing exactly what takes place and expectations can be a bit comforting. Also, knowing your rights, responsibilities, how to conduct yourself, and arrange release, will help you to remain calm as well. Before you know it, you’ll be back home, safe and sound with your loved ones.

Tonya Page Bail Bonds is a professional bail bond company serving Southern California. Bondsman Tonya Page works alongside her husband, Greg, of Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds. Together, they are a successful, family owned and operated business, and are expert bondsmen and licensed professionals with over 35 years of experience. They understand and want to help families that are in an urgent time of need. Contact them today for confidential California bail bonds assistance.

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Are There Any Effective Laws Against a Sex Offender? Know the Truth!

March 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Steven Sea -

A sex offender is a liability to the society and nation. By all means, we want him off the streets and neighborhoods. But are the current laws enough to deter or intimidate a sex offender? To get a better understanding, let’s take a look at how the current laws evolved.

For controlling sex offenders, the law enforcement has to know exactly where these sexual predators reside (or currently are). That’s what the initial version of Jessica’s Law was and still is mostly about. Jessica’s Law however found new shape and amendments in 2005 and 2006. Actually, this happens to be the unofficial name of a Florida law enacted in 2005. This law is meant to chastise sex offenders. But it is also meant to limit their abilities to re-offend.

The girl, Jessica was abducted from her own bedroom when it was pretty late at night on February 24 of 2005. The sexual offender was a guy who lived in that neighborhood, and he had very very long record of repeated arrests and sexual misconduct as well as offensive exposures to a 5 year old. Unfortunately, the police had absolutely no idea that that this ‘reputed’ sex offender John Couey was living in this neighborhood.

This law is meant to curb the activities of sexual predators’ to potential child targets. In other words, the law requires the convicted sexual offender to carry some sort of electronic tracking device for the rest of their lives, so the law enforcement can hunt them down whenever the wish. This is likely to keep them from re-offending another child. However the minimum punishment is 25 years of time in prison for assaulting minors who’re under 12.

Let’s take look at the Jacob Wetterling Act which was enacted in 1994. This act is known to be a part of the renowned Violent Crime Control & Law Enforcement Act passed by the U.S. Congress, while they also endorsed Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children & Sexually Violent Offenders Registration Act. However, this act did set forth some guidelines for all states for establishing registry programs for sex offenders.

This act was among the first even among legislation about registration. And it took the name of the 11 year old young victim called Jacob Wetterling abducted suddenly at gunpoint and didn’t ever make it back home.

Now we will take a look at Megan’s Law, which came to be enacted in 1996. Actually, the previous Wetterling Act was amended by the Megan’s Law later on. This law required the US states to make public important information on the sex-offenders. This was done with a hope that the local residents will be able to know who they should protect their child from.

This law however was named after a girl who was just 7-year old. She was raped and ultimately murdered by the already alleged sex offender inviting her in his home for playing with the new puppy. But the question is, are such laws enough for protecting your child? It’s much wiser to be proactive about protecting yourself and the loved ones. Try to know who are the registered sex offenders are in your locality!

Checking out Public sex offender? Find out all about Criminal Records and other related Public Records at sex offender search online.

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How The Right Criminal Lawyer Can Make A Difference In Your Case

February 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

By Jason Merlina -

When you hire a good criminal defense lawyer, you are making a smart move. If you are charged with a serious crime, there is a chance that you could lose your freedom for a very long time. It is not recommended that you face these kinds of charges without the best legal help that is available. When you are facing conviction and tough sentencing, you need a professional criminal lawyer that will work with you and understand your needs.

Hiring a Specialist

The average person may know little about the legal system, except what they see on television. When you find yourself in a great deal of trouble, there is not enough time to acquire the necessary knowledge about criminal law. A legal professional has years of important education, training and experience in these matters, and knows what to expect.

When you retain a professional, you have the best odds for success. Some might be tempted to go with a public defender, which is free of cost. The court appoints this attorney to the defendant, and the time spent on the case is usually limited to minutes. If you are charged with a serious criminal offense, you want to retain your own attorney who can devote the necessary time and energy to produce a good outcome in your case.

Advice from a Professional

When you need legal advice, an experienced criminal defense lawyer can tell you everything you need to know. This is a very crucial time in your life, and you cannot afford to make any more mistakes. A legal professional will advise you on the best course of action.

Understanding the System

A good lawyer will be able to evaluate your situation and advise you on whether it makes sense to go to trial or not. If not, your choices come down to either agreeing to a plea deal, or letting the judge decide your fate. Someone who is really good will know just how to maneuver the case to motivate the prosecution to agree to a favorable deal. This can result in years of your life.

If you go to trial, there may be a jury to consider. Before trial, there is a jury selection process, and your lawyer will be a big part of it. They will make sure that everyone on the jury is fair and impartial, and will try to weed out people who might be prejudiced against you. This can make the difference between freedom and jail time.

Conclusion

When you hire the services of an experienced criminal defense lawyer, you will have help with every important decision. Your lawyer will represent you in court, and will be there with you for difficult decisions. You may be under a great deal of pressure and stress, and it is important to have a reputable criminal lawyer on your side, thinking clearly and strategically.

If you’ve been arrested for a crime in Arizona, you can expect the state to prosecute you for your criminal acts. When you are facing a potential conviction and tough sentencing, an experienced Phoenix criminal lawyer will be necessary to mitigate the potential damage to your life. Spending years incarcerated can be devastating, and if you fight your charges you will almost always end up better of than if you hadn’t.

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Identity Theft In Border States – Why Is Identity Theft Much Worse In Border States?

January 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Julius C Rocha -

Identity Theft is a vast and rapidly growing crime in the U.S. It has been ranked the #1 offense against local and federal law. The size of population is a factor when it comes to statistics of which states are more affected by identity theft, but this plays no part when it comes to states that are among the U.S and Mexico’s border and also Canada. ID theft has been increasing rapidly among families in the states that fall on the border due to the advancing amount of illegal immigration. This puts a lot of our families at risk, including our children. With out properly knowing how these thieves are getting our personal information, we are defenseless against their attacks.

Facts On Identity Theft

As technology increases, and drug wars on the border continue to escalate, Americans are more susceptible to this type of crime, allowing different doorways for thieves to steal our personal information. According to the FTC, ID Theft affects more than 10 million people each year, jumping from 500,000 in 2001 to a whopping 1900% increase in 2010. These crooks aim for one valuable piece of information that’s key to destroying everything else that lies ahead, your social security number.

Why Is The Amount of Victims Increasing Among Border States

I was not able to get a precise statistic in increase of identity theft in border states due to illegal immigration, because government agencies state they have not implemented this type of research for this category as of yet. However, with some research we were able to find that MSNBC reported, according to Betsy Broder an assistant director with the FTC, the agency had seen a rise in prosecution of workers using other people’s information to be employed, particularly for using fraudulent Social Security numbers.

With the increase in drug wars amongst the border cities of Mexico, many immigrants have fled for their lives to the United States. Some are here legally and many are here illegally. Let’s not forget that Canada also plays their part in illegal immigration. Despite the matter, most illegal immigrants don’t acquire our personal information by stealing it, they buy it. As profound as it may seem, the source of identity theft starts in our own backyard. On the other hand, with the increase of illegal immigration, the more the demand for falsified documents, the more the demand for the crime to be committed.

Which Border States Are Experiencing This Crime

The top six states that rank amongst identity theft happening among border states is 1.Arizona, 2.California, 3.Texas, 4.New York, 5.Washington, and 6.New Mexico. Arizona ranks #1 in identity theft all across the nation, in 3rd is California, and in 4th is Texas. It is not only due to the size of the state because as you can see Arizona is a whole lot smaller than both California and Texas, and Nevada ranks 2nd in the nation which is also smaller in population.

In Conclusion…

The Federal Trade Commission stated that the number one thing that everyone should do to protect themselves is to become AWARE. Get yourself up-to-date on ways identity thieves can steal your information, ways on how to prevent this crime from happening to you and your family. Yo need to know what these thieves are doing with your personal information when they do have it. We all need to be aware and to recognize just how serious this crime is destroying lives because once the damage is done, it’s never done. There are ways to begin minimizing the threat of Identity Theft, we you just have to be willing to get you and your family informed.

Julius C. Rocha is a professional identity theft resource advisor, and has assisted many families across America with problems of identity theft, to learn more about Julius, see Helping Others Today

To Learn more on how to prevent Identity Theft from happening to you and your family, check out Safety For Your Identity

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Understanding Probation and Parole

September 23, 2008 By Leave a Comment

By Joseph Devine

When you have been charged with some type of criminal offense, there are many types of punishments that you could receive for the many different crimes that you could have been charged with. For most felonies, there is usually jail time that goes along with most of these charges. For some people, they are required to serve a certain amount of jail time before they are allowed to be on either probation or parole. There are major differences between being on parole and being on probation.

Parole is defined as an early release from an incarceration because of good behavior while in the correctional facility. This basically means that if a person has been incarcerated for a certain amount of time and that person goes before the parole board of the jail facility. When the person goes before the parole board, they will evaluate that person on their behavior over the time that they have been in jail. If they have had good behavior and the board thinks that it is appropriate, they will let them on parole for the rest of their sentence. During the parole period, the person will be required to visit or speak with their parole officer on a daily basis. The person will also be required to take drug tests when parole officer feels it is necessary. There are also certain restrictions that you are not allowed to do while you are in your parole period.

Probation on the other hand is slightly different than parole in inst definition. Probation is defined as an alternative punishment for a judge to assign someone who has been charged with some sort of criminal charges and is awaiting a punishment. Basically if you are a first time offender or the judge thinks you have learned from your crime, they can choose to give you probation which is officially monitored time in the community. This means that you will have visits regularly by your probation officer. Unlike being on parole, if you are given probation, you will not officially serve any of your time in jail. All of the time on probation will be in your home doing your daily activities. You will also have appointments to meet with probation officer as well as drug tests on a regular basis. Like being on parole, there are many restrictions that will apply to being on probation as well. The restrictions will vary depending on what type of situation you are involved in. With both parole and probation, a violation of any one of the restrictions that they give you can lead your parole or probation being revoked and you will be put in jail for the remainder of your sentence.

For more information, contact the Appleton Criminal Defense Attorneys of Kohler & Hart at http://www.appletoncriminalattorneys.com

Joseph Devine

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