You get a phone call from your son at 3 a.m., and he was just arrested for drunk driving. You don’t know what happens next, in a moment of crisis and panic. The process of arraignment has been explained by bail agents at All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita.
An arraignment, by definition, is the first time the arrested person appears in court to face the charges against him or her, according to the California Bail Education textbook.
Your loved one is typically sent to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station when arrested and arraigned within 48 business hours.
The U.S. Supreme Court requires that if the defendant was arrested without a previously issued warrant, he or she will never have to wait over 48 hours to see a judge unless he or she is arrested on a Thursday or Friday then it’s 48 business hours, weekends do not count, so that a judge may determine whether there was a probable cause to arrest.
For arraignment, your loved one may appear in the Santa Clarita Court. The Court deals with traffic cases and misdemeanors.
If the arrested doesn’t have a lawyer, the court will assign him or her one.
The case will be presented against the defendant by the Assistant District Attorney at the arraignment hearing.
The arrested will be asked to plead guilty, not guilty or no contest:
- Guilty: If the defendant pleads guilty to all charges, he or she is responsible for all charges there will be no trial. The judge will decide the punishment soon after.
- Not Guilty: A trial will be set and the defendant denies all charges.
- No Contest: The defendant accepts the charges brought against him as if he or she pleads guilty, but doesn’t wish to fight the charges brought against him or her.
The defendant’s bail will be set and he or she will be assigned a date for another court appearance by a judge.
“Depending on the person’s previous criminal records and the severity of the case, among other things, bail amount can be high or low.” said Inessa Chavez, vice president of All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita. “We want to ensure that all of our clients have a fair bail amount at All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita.”
At the hearing, the defendant can argue the initial bail set by the court if it is too high.
“Excessive bail” is prohibited by the Eighth Amendment, meaning that the bail can’t be set so high as a ploy to force a defendant to stay in jail.
The judge may deny bail or elevate it accordingly if the arrested person poses as public threat or high level of flight risk.
“With Us You Are Never Alone”
All American Bail Bonds
23360 W. Valencia Blvd. #E
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
661-255-2245
Call Toll Free: 888-755-2245
24 hours a day — 7 days a week
If loved one in custody and they wish to talk to an All American Bail Bonds representative call:
818-990-0003 or 661-267-6777
CLIENT.SERVICES@ALLAMERICANBAILBONDS.COM
