Breaking Down 3 Myths People Believe About Bail Based On Movies

If your only experience with bail bonds is watching someone get bailed out of jail in a movie or television show, you more than likely have some wrong ideas about the process. If you find yourself facing a situation where you need to get someone out of jail or be bailed out of jail yourself, it helps to understand what isn't true about bail bonds based on movie and television portrayal. Here are a few common bail bonds myths.

Myth #1: Bail Gets Denies for Simple Crimes

First, in movies, it is often shown that people can be their bail denied for simple crimes. However, that is not true. In general, once you are granted bail, it would take an extraordinary circumstance for your bail to be revoked after the judge set the amount.

Also, in general, for most crimes, you will be given a bail amount outside of violent crimes. As long as you are not a danger to yourself or to society, you should be granted bail, and that bail shouldn't be revoked once issued.

Myth #2: You Have to See a Judge to Set a Bail Amount

In movies, you must always go in front of a judge and make your case to get your bail amount set. In the film, the judge is also who determines if you meet the criteria to be issued bail or if you must stay in jail.

In truth, in most jurisdictions, there is a bail schedule. So, the bail amount you have to pay is already set in place based on your charged crime. With most minor crimes, the bail will be in the hundreds or thousands; bails that cost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars are very rare and only usually for extreme crimes, such as murder or kidnapping.

Bail hearings are often simple processes, as the bail schedule is used to set the bail amount.

Myth #3: You Only Get to Make One Phone Call

There is always a dramatic moment in movies where the character calls the one person in their life who they know will answer the phone at that exact moment and show up with the bail. The truth is, you get as many phone calls as you want.

In general, though, whoever you are calling will need to accept a collect call charge for you to talk to them. You can contact friends, family members, and a bail bond agent. You will have opportunities to make multiple calls to figure out how to pay your bail.

Movies and television shows provide a lot of misinformation about bail. With most crimes, you are not going to be denied bail. Bail schedules set bail amounts, and you will get to make multiple phone calls to arrange bail. Bail bond companies will accept collect calls, and work with you to get the money to post bail.