Bail hearing can be scheduled by either party, either by the Commonwealth or by the Defendant. Most of the time a bail here is requested by the Commonwealth because they are either asking to have the bail increased or to have the bail revoked for some alleged violation of the bail conditions. A Defendant can ask for a bail hearing to either reduce the amount of bail set, to change the type of bail set, or to remove a condition of bail.
The most common types of bail are:
ROR (released on your own recognizance): here you do not have to post any funds or property the Court is relying on your word that you are going to show up for Court when scheduled to do so in the future.
Unsecured bail: here the Court is releasing you without having to post any bail, however if you violate a bail condition you could owe the Court the amount of money that the Court set as the unsecured amount. Thus the Court is saying as long as you show up to court and do not violate any conditions we are good, however if you violate then we will come after you for the money.
Monetary bail: here the Court will not release you until after you post the amount of money that the Court sets. This can be posted either through a bail bondsman or through your own funds. In addition you could use property as collateral for the Court such as your house.
Some Courts mostly Federal, but some State Courts require what is called a Nebbia Hearing before anyone can post bail for you. This is also called a bail source hearing. The Courts request this hearing because they want you or whoever is posting your bail to prove that the funds in which you are using to post the bail are from legitimate sources and not the proceeds of illegal activity. The most frequent type of case in which these hearing are mandated is in drug related cases.
It is extremely important to contact an experienced law firm right away in you or someone you know is charged with a crime in Pennsylvania. If you, your son, daughter, or loved one in Pennsylvania has been arrested for a crime in state or federal court in Pennsylvania you need legal representation Here at Manchester and Associates we represent people across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For a free consultation we can be contacted at 1-800-243-4878.