Bail process in Minneapolis. If you are arrested in Minneapolis, there’s a good chance you’ll end up downtown at the Hennepin County Jail, also known as the Adult County Detention Center. If you were arrested for a misdemeanor, and for some felonies, your bail could be determined almost immediately from a bail schedule. After you are booked and processed, it’s then possible to begin the bail process. You can call a friend or relative for help, or to contact a bail bond agent, or call a bail bond company yourself. For more serious crimes, it may take longer to determine the bail because a court hearing will be required.
Types of Bail in Minneapolis. If the court decides on bail – as opposed to a signature release - there are two main options for bail in Minneapolis. Depending on the decision of the court, there are several ways to meet your bail obligation.
- Personal recognizance. This is most common when a misdemeanor is involved and the defendant has no criminal history. No money is required; instead, you must sign a document agreeing to show up for all court hearings and not to commit any crimes.
- Conditional bail. Often, defendants will receive both conditional and unconditional bail options. Conditional bail usually is the least expensive of the two choices because there are conditions attached that increase the likelihood that the defendant will appear in court. These could include a limit on travel, drug testing and staying away from the victim in the case, for example.
- Unconditional bail. Just as it sounds, only the conditions required of all defendants are in place with unconditional bail – which is to follow all state laws and show up for scheduled court appearances. This type of bail usually comes with a higher price tag because there are no conditions added by the court. A defendant may choose unconditional bail to avoid a condition that would be difficult or impossible to follow. For example, a defendant given a limitation on travel under conditional bail who must travel as a work requirement might choose unconditional bail.
- Bail sources. A defendant can pay bail in cash – if he or she is able to post the entire amount of the bail, or hire a bail bond agent for a surety bond. The defendant, or a co-signer, would pay 10 percent of the total bail amount to the agent. The company then guaranties the total amount of the bail to the court. The 10 percent bail premium is the cost of doing business and is not returned.
How bail is set. Michigan has bail schedules in place for misdemeanor crimes, which speeds up the process of posting bail for defendants. The state has regulations that set bail based on the maximum fine for that misdemeanor. Depending on the crime, those caps can be 2 times, 4 times, 6 times or 10 times the amount of the fine for the crime. For example, malicious punishment of a child is a misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $3,000. Under https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=629.471, the bail would be 6 times the fine or $18,000. For felonies, the bail is set during a bail hearing in which court officials consider everything from the defendant’s prior criminal history and connection to the community to the specific facts of the crime.
Bond costs and options. The bail premium – the amount that bail bond companies charge for a surety bond – is 10 percent in Minneapolis. A defendant can save that money and pay cash instead. However, the court will require the entire amount of the bail in cash. Most of that money is returned, as long as the defendant meets all bail conditions – minus court fees and costs. A defendant can get the help of a friend or relative – any person over the age of 18 – to post bail. That can help the defendant avoid paying out cash that might be better spent on a criminal attorney.