Although most people have heard of bail bonds and know the purpose that they serve, few average Joes understand how bail is set. Although the ultimate decision for what level a bond will be set at is up to the judge, the vast majority of judges abide by a set of guidelines that is known as a bail bond schedule. When it comes to criminal bonds in Angleton, TX and across the United States, this schedule advises that bail bonds be set in the following ways:
No bond
For certain crimes and for specific situations, the bail bond schedule lists that no bond should be offered at all. To start, any and all capital felonies are to be given no criminal bonds in Angleton, TX. Habitual offenders, or people who have numerous previous offenses, also receive sentences without any bail opportunities.
Other situations in which a defendant is to be sentenced without bail according to the bail bond schedule include a sentence of any degree felony, in which the defendant had already been on bail or on probation for a felony during the time of the hearing.
$30,000 to $50,000
This range of bail bond amounts is for crimes that are still very severe, but not quite so much as those with no bond available at all. The largest bail bond, which is $50,000, is reserved for any murder that is not otherwise outlined in the schedule guidelines.
The next largest is $35,000, which is to be set for any person with a deportation history or undocumented existence in the country. $30,000 bail bonds are for individuals who are facing a first-degree felony and also have a previous conviction, as well as any offense in which a deadly weapon is believed to have been used.
$20,000 and less
Some crimes warrant smaller criminal bonds in Angleton, TX. All first-degree felonies that are not otherwise specified in the schedule and all second-degree felonies with a prior conviction are listed with $20,000 bail.
A fourth degree felony with more than one previous conviction warrants a $15,000 bail. Bail bonds for second-degree felonies not otherwise specified in the schedule, all felony DWIs not otherwise specified in the schedule and any third degree felony with a previous conviction are recommended to be set at $10,000.
A fourth degree felony with one previous conviction or a third degree felony not otherwise specified in the schedule are to be set at $5,000, and all fourth degree felonies not otherwise specified in the schedule are to be set at $2,000.
Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline for bail bond amounts—technically, the end bail amount set is to be determined by the judge who will presiding over the case. As long as the bail amount doesn’t violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, a judge can make a bond ruling as they see fit, based on the case and the person being charged with the crime.