Arkansas Criminal Defense Blog ©

Generally the first experience an arrested person has with the court system in Arkansas is his first appearance for a hearing on bond.

Hiring an attorney to represent you at a bond hearing could represent the difference between sitting in jail pending a court date, or being released pending your court date.

Generally a bond is set to insure a charged person will return for his future court appearances. It is important to contact an attorney, or have a family member contact an attorney, as soon as you arrested so the attorney can prepare an argument on your behalf at your bond hearing. This time frame is generally very short.

There are generally three types of categories of bonds in Arkansas (different areas use different terms):

1. “Cash Bond”- This means that you have to post cash to be released. Example: If your bond is $10,000.00, you have to post the entire $10,000.00 to be released.
2. “Professional or Commercial Bond”- This is a bond type that allows you to go through a bailbonds company. In this instance, you hire a bondsman to post a percentage of your bond, and you in turn pay that percentage to the bondsman. The bondsman is at this point in charge of making sure you appear in court.
3. “Released on Recognizance” or “ROR” or “OR”- This type of bond literally allows your signature to get you out of jail. This is generally reserved for those who have no previous history of failing to appear, and who do not have a previous criminal history.

The type of bond, and the amount of bond are set by a judge. It is important to have an attorney at your bond hearing so that a concise and coherent argument can be made on your behalf.

Tags: Bail Bonds