Bail Lawyers Negotiate Terms Of Release

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Bail Lawyers

If you have been charged with a criminal offence and are not release on your own, criminal bail lawyers help. Proper representation means that the courts hear your case regarding bail. The bail lawyers at Kahane Law office in Calgary, Alberta can help. If charged and you do not know what to do, our criminal lawyers can help.

How Do I Get Released On Bail?

Bail, also referred to as a Judicial Interim Release, is a court order that allows you to remain in the community until your legal matter concludes. These are heard by judges at a bail hearing.

In order to be released on bail, you must abide by certain conditions.  Think of conditions like a checklist of things that you must do or must not do. If you don’t abide by these conditions, your bail could be revoked, which means you could end up waiting in jail until your matter concludes. You also could be charged with failing to comply with your conditions, which will make it more difficult for you to be released again. This is why bail lawyers should explain everything about the conditions you have before you agree to them. Bail lawyers help you to come up with a release plan that is suitable for you. Make sure you understand your bail conditions before you agree to them.

Common conditions:

  • Keep the peace and be of good behaviour
  • No contact with the complainant
  • No go to the place the alleged offence took place
  • Reside where approved
  • Report to a probation officer

How Do I Make A Bail Payment?

If bail is granted on a no cash deposit, then you do not need to put up that amount of money. However, if you breach your bail conditions, you could be liable to pay that amount back.

There are several options for making bail payments. If you are in remand, it’s easiest to find someone to post bail for you. If your bail hearing as in front of a Justice of Peace at the Arrest Processing Unit or an RCMP station, you can request to make the bail payment after the bail hearing. Bail payments can also be made at a provincial courthouse or a bail hearing office. They can also be made in person at a remand centre.  When meeting with your bail lawyer, you can go over your options.

If you are in remand and someone is paying bail for you, you must authorize the funds to be transferred into your inmate account to be used for bail. This is especially important to know if someone is paying bail from another province. If someone is paying bail for you and they do not live in Alberta, the only way they can pay it is by going to CIBC. You will need to know your ORCA (Offender Records and Correctional Administration) number and the bank transit number for the remand facility you are in. Please be aware that it will take 3-5 business days for the funds to process and be deposited for use. A bail lawyers is able to explain all the steps in detail to you.

What Is A Surety? Can I Be One? What Am I Agreeing To?

If you agree to be someone’s surety, it means that you are taking responsibility for them when they are released. This means that you will need to supervise them while they are in the community by ensuring that they show up to court when necessary, and ensuring that they abide by all of the conditions of the bail order.

A surety must be 18 years or older, be able to attend court to sign the bail order, be a Canadian Citizen or landed immigrant, not be a co-accused, not have any outstanding criminal charges against them, be willing to report the person should they fail to abide by their conditions, and be in a position financially to put up an asset (car, house, etc.) as a security. They can do this with or without a bail lawyer, but they need to know what they are agreeing to.

Consequently, you may want to seek legal advice from a bail lawyer before agreeing to become someone’s surety. You could lose the amount that you promise to put up, if the bail conditions aren’t followed. It is important to understand what it is you are agreeing to and what it is that you could lose.

If you decide you no longer want to be a surety, you can apply in writing and make an application to be removed as a surety. A surety warrant will then be issued and the accused will be arrested and remanded until a new surety can be found.

Can I Top Up An Inmate’s Commissary Account?

What is a commissary account? Calgary Remand Centre creates trust accounts for every inmate, which they also manage. Family and friends can go directly to the remand centre in person, and deposit money into these accounts.  Once inmates receive their funds, they can request to withdraw the money to use for bail or use at the canteen. The Canteen is like a tiny convenience store where personal hygiene items, junk food, etc. are available for purchase.  Again, if you want to top up someone’s commissary account but you live out of province, you will need to send the money through CIBC using the ORCA number and bank transit number of the remand centre they are at.

Getting Help From A Bail Lawyer For A Bail Hearing

If you, or someone you know, has been arrested and is facing a bail hearing, it is important to contact a bail lawyer as soon as possible. You need to understand what options are available. Contact our experienced team if you need a criminal lawyer. CONNECT NOW. We can be reached toll-free at 1-877-225-8817 (or 403-225-8810 locally in Calgary, Alberta), or email us directly here.