Recent changes to bail guidelines in Southern California mean that many people who are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be released from jail without paying bail. In many cases, the arrestee would simply be booked then released on their own recognizance, meaning they must appear for scheduled court dates; otherwise, they are free to resume their lives as the DUI case is pending.
In other cases, such as with felony DUIs, an arrestee might only be released before their arraignment hearing if a magistrate determines that the arrestee can be released without bail, perhaps with non-financial conditions attached as well. Otherwise, the magistrate might determine that the arrestee needs to be held until the arraignment hearing. At arraignment, bail might then be set.
When Paying Bail Is Required for DUI Arrests in Los Angeles County
Certain drunk driving and drugged driving cases fall outside of the new $0 cash bail rules. These would be instances where you would need to post bail before someone arrested on DUI charges could be released from jail.
Paying bail could be a condition of release after an arrest on DUI charges such as:
- Vehicular manslaughter
- DUI or DUID that causes bodily injury
- A fourth DUI charge within 10 years
Determining Bail Amounts for DUI Cases in L.A.
When it comes to felony DUIs that don’t involve manslaughter, the protocol will often be for judicial officers to reach an on-call magistrate. The magistrate would then review the details of the arrestee’s criminal history (if any) and the details of the current case before determining if the arrestee can be released on non-financial conditions or if they must wait until the arraignment hearing to officially decide on matters such as bail.
This means that if someone is arrested for a fourth DUI or a DUI that causes bodily injury, then a magistrate might consider factors such as if the arrestee has failed to appear in criminal court on prior charges, if the arrestee is a flight risk, etc.
At the arraignment or afterwards, a judicial officer isn’t bound to stick to Los Angeles County’s bail schedule, but the guidelines generally set the amount you might expect bail to be set for in many cases.
Bail amounts for a DUI or DUID case in Los Angeles County might be:
- $100,000 for DUI with gross negligence (Penal Code 191.5(a)—vehicular manslaughter)
- $50,000 for DUI with gross negligence (Penal Code 191.5(b)—also vehicular manslaughter)
- $100,000 for a felony DUI that causes bodily injury with personal infliction of great bodily injury, or with use of a dangerous or deadly weapon (Vehicle Code 23153)
- $75,000 for a DUI that causes bodily injury (Vehicle Code 23153)
- $75,000 for a fourth DUI in 10 years, when charged as a felony (Vehicle Code 23550)
Posting Bail for DUI Charges in Los Angeles
First you need to know if bail has been set, and then for how much. You may need to know the person’s booking number so you can find them in the system.
If you have to post bail for the DUI case, your options include:
- Posting the full bail amount yourself
- Going through a bail bond agent
- Using a property bond (putting up collateral worth the same or more than the bail)
How a Bail Bondsman in Los Angeles County Can Help
If you or a loved one is facing felony DUI charges or a complicated DUI case with multiple charges involved, working with an L.A. County bail bond agent allows you to only pay a fraction of the full bail amount to secure a release from jail. The fraction would be 1/10, to be more precise.
So, if bail for the DUI charge was set for $100,000, you would only need to pay a bail bond agent a non-refundable fee of $10,000, and the bail bond agent is on the hook for the rest of the bail amount. As a skilled professional, a licensed bail bond agent can provide advice for every step, quickly complete all related paperwork, and work to secure a quick release from jail.
Dan's Bail Bonds Offers 24/7, Mobile Bail Bond Service in L.A. County
Even if you get a call in the middle of the night that someone you care about has been arrested on DUI charges, you can find the help you need from Dan Nesser. You can personally reach out to Dan at any time of day or night to discuss your options for securing a release from jail in Los Angeles County. If you’re dealing with a serious felony DUI case, Dan will be honest about whether there’s still a chance that there will be an own recognizance release, or if money that would be used for bail would be better spent on a defense attorney.
Finding out that a loved one needs bail for drunk or drugged driving charges is certainly upsetting, but you don’t have to face this process alone.