How Long Does It Take To Reinstate a Bond?
Failure to appear in court can potentially result in a rearrest, an additional Class A misdemeanor or Class D felony charge, and the involuntary forfeiture of bail. However, you can pursue a bond reinstatement if you have a valid reason for missing their court date or violating one of the bail conditions.
How long does it take to reinstate a bond? Learn more about the bail bond reinstatement process and conditions below.
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Bail Bond Process – Overview
When you face a criminal charge, the police will likely arrest you and take you into custody. Within 48 hours after arrest, you (the accused) must appear before a judge, who will set all bail terms, including the bail amount.
After paying the bail amount in full, you are free to leave on the condition that you appear during all court hearings. You must comply with all other bail conditions, such as refraining from drug use, following a curfew, or obeying all laws.
If you and your family members cannot afford the bail, you can take advantage of a bail bond. Under this agreement, a bail bondsman posts bail to the court on your behalf. In exchange, you must pay a non-refundable fee to the bail bondsman and promise to keep court dates.
The Circumstances Leading Up to a Bail Bond Reinstatement
You must adhere to all bond conditions when the court releases you after executing a bond.
If you fail to appear for the trial, the court will issue a Bail Commissioner’s Letter (BCL) indicating that you failed to appear in court for your criminal charge. The BCL also provides a court date for a hearing that you must attend to avoid a 53a-172 or 53a-173 criminal charge.
Should you fail to attend the hearing on the date that the court provided in the BCL, the judge will proceed with a bail bond revocation on the pending case. Additionally, the judge will issue a rearrest or bench warrant, starting the process from the beginning.
The police may search for and arrest you under the rearrest warrant. Then, you must attend an arraignment hearing for a second time. However, one can expect the bail amount to be significantly higher as the court has lost confidence that you will appear for the court date.
Once you learn that you’ve missed the hearing date, approach the court before the arrest takes place and try to get a bail bond reinstatement.
When Is a Revoked Bond Reinstated?
If the defendant voluntarily returns to court within five business days after the bail bond revocation order, the court has the discretion to:
- Vacate the revocation order
- Reinstate the bond
The court will only make the above order if your failure to attend the trial was not willful. In other words, you did not intentionally, knowingly, and deliberately fail to appear in court.
The court will consider the surrounding circumstances when determining whether a failure to appear was willful. For example, if you went into cardiac arrest an hour before the hearing’s starting time, the court will likely accept that the failure to attend was not willful. Similarly, imprisonment in another location might also be grounds for a bond reinstatement.
The consequence of a bond reinstatement is that the proceedings continue as if you appeared on their court date and complied with all original bond requirements. A bond reinstatement also terminates the bench warrant, which means you don’t need to go into custody due to your failure to attend.
How Long Does the Bond Reinstatement Process Take
If your family member missed their court date, and you learn that the court revoked the bond, you need to contact the bail bonds company as soon as possible. The bail bondsman will pursue a bond reinstatement under the relevant court rules.
The process typically takes one or two days. However, in some cases, a court can take up to two weeks to reinstate the bond and schedule another court date. If you wonder how can you reschedule a court date click here.
Need Bail Bonds in Connecticut?
If the police arrest your family member and keep them in custody, our Connecticut Bail Bonds Group team can help. We provide a comprehensive bail bond solution to help get your loved one out of jail so they can meet with their legal team and start working on a defense.
Fast service, client support, and honesty are at the foundation of the bail bond services we offer at Connecticut Bail Bonds Group. Contact us today for a professional bail bond solution and friendly assistance throughout your loved one’s criminal proceedings. Our bail bondsmen are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help you when you need us.
