Bail is one of those processes that’s intimidating mostly because nobody explains it. The actual flow — arrest, intake, hearing, posting, release — is short, predictable, and the same shape for every misdemeanor and most felony cases in California. Here it is, in order.
Arrest and booking
After an arrest, the defendant is transported to the arresting agency’s local precinct for booking — fingerprints, photographs, inventory of belongings, and an initial health screen. During this window you may not be able to reach them, but you can start preparing your end: the defendant’s full legal name and date of birth, the arresting agency and booking station, your relationship to the defendant, and if known, the charge or a description of what happened.
County jail intake
From the precinct, the defendant is transferred to the county jail of the arresting jurisdiction — the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, West Valley in San Bernardino, San Diego Central, or Theo Lacy in Orange County. Intake is when the case file is formally opened in the county system and the inmate becomes searchable in the public locator.
If bail was assigned at booking (most misdemeanors are, per the county bail schedule), you can post immediately and skip the hearing. If not, the defendant waits until the next court session.
The bail hearing
The bail hearing is where the schedule becomes a number. The judge reviews the charge, prior history, ties to the community, and any flight-risk factors — then either confirms the scheduled amount, raises it (for enhancements like priors or weapons), lowers it on motion, or denies bail entirely on the most serious felony charges.
Posting the bond
Once bail is set, you have two paths: pay the full amount to the court in cash (refundable when the case resolves, but it ties up the money for months) or use a bail bondsman, who posts a surety bond with the court for a non-refundable premium — tiered between 0% and 10% at Justice.
The 10% statutory cap is the legal ceiling. Anything above it is illegal. Walk away from any bondsman quoting above 10%, anyone demanding wired money before paperwork is signed, anyone without a visible California Department of Insurance license number, or anyone pressuring you to decide in under a minute. A real bondsman walks the family through the math.
Release
Once we post the bond at the jail in person, the facility begins its release process. The actual door-open time depends on the jail’s intake queue and shift change — we stay in touch with you the whole time.
After release
The defendant is now out, but the bond remains active until the case fully resolves. That means showing up at every court date, complying with any conditions attached to release, and staying in touch with the bondsman. Justice clients get a single point of contact for the duration — the same agent who answered the first call.
If the defendant misses a court date, the bond goes into forfeiture and there is a limited window to bring them back in. Don’t go silent — the worst thing for everyone is when we have to find out from the court.