Pennsylvania Bail Bond Hearing: What Happens?

Pittsburgh Criminal Lawyer Explains What to Expect and How to Reduce Bail

Video Transcript:

Rob Rosenthal:

Do you know what to expect if you have a bond hearing in Pennsylvania? Let's ask Pennsylvania lawyer Frank Walker for this Ask the Lawyers Quick Question.

Frank Walker: 

Bail is for two premises. One, to make sure you show up at trial and two, to make sure you are protecting society, you're not... There's not a danger to society. So with those two backdrops in mind, you wanna make sure that you're meeting both of those thresholds. The judge has to make that decision, are you a danger to society? If you have a household, a job, a family, a place to go to work every single day, this is your first defense, it wasn't a violent offense, odds are they're gonna say, You're not gonna be a danger to society. Second problem, would you show up to court? Can I assure... can you assure me or what conditions can I put on you that will assure me in the court that you will show up at your hearings? You wanna make sure that you have an idea of whether or not you can afford to pay to a bail bondsman, so typically what I do as an attorney looking for a bail reduction, figure out, ask the client: “What amount can you afford to pay to get out?"

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