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Bail starts with a county bail schedule, then a judge can change it. Here is how California bail amounts are set and how to find your county's schedule.

Felony bail is usually higher and gets more review than misdemeanor bail in California. Learn how schedules, wobblers, and release options differ.

O.R. release lets someone out on a signed promise instead of money. Learn how it differs from bail and how California judges decide.

After an arrest, people often start in a city jail or holding facility before moving to county jail. Here is how it works in Southern California.

Probation violations, state parole holds, and PRCS flash incarceration each follow different release rules in California. Here is what families should check before paying for a bond.

A hold can keep your loved one in custody even after bail is posted. Here is what warrants, probation and parole holds, and immigration detainers mean in California.

Most California warrants list a bail amount that can be posted. Learn how bench and arrest warrants differ, what happens on out-of-county warrants, and how to surrender.

Each Southern California county jail has its own way to put money on an inmate's books. Here are the official methods for all five counties, plus tips to avoid returned deposits.

A two-minute license check protects your family. Here is how to look up a bail agent with the California Department of Insurance and the red flags to watch for.

Domestic violence arrests follow stricter bail rules in California. Learn about PC 1270.1 hearings, emergency protective orders, and no-contact conditions.

A county-by-county guide to visiting someone in a Southern California jail, including how to schedule, what ID to bring and video visit options.

Since October 2023, many LA County arrestees are released without bail before their first court date. Here is how the five release categories work.

Men are booked at San Diego Central Jail, women at Las Colinas, and both can also be booked at Vista in North County. Here is how bail and bonds work.

A side-by-side guide to the Riverside and San Bernardino County jail systems, how bail is posted in each, and where to find our three Inland Empire offices.

Whether you get bail money back depends on how you paid. Here is how cash bail refunds, nonrefundable bond premiums, and collateral returns work in California.

Where people are booked in San Diego County, how to find them, how bail bonds are posted at Sheriff's facilities, and which courthouses handle criminal cases.

What happens after a DUI arrest in California, when release without bail is possible, how DUI-with-injury bail differs, and the DMV deadline families should know.

Three ways to post bail in California, compared side by side: what each costs, what comes back, how fast it is, and the risks to your family.

Bonds are accepted 24/7 at Orange County's Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. Here is how to find the person, post bail and what to expect afterward.

There is no set release time at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Here is what happens after booking, what slows release down, and what you can do while you wait.

Una guía clara en español sobre cómo funcionan las fianzas en el sur de California, cuánto cuestan, qué significa ser fiador y cómo encontrar a alguien detenido.

A simple checklist of the details a bail agent needs about the person in custody and the person signing, so the bond goes through without delays.

A calm, step-by-step checklist for the first day after someone you love is arrested, from finding them to planning for the first court date.

A defense attorney can ask a judge to lower bail. Learn what the judge considers, how Humphrey changed things, and how families can help prepare.

Missing court can lead to a bench warrant and bail forfeiture, but California law gives a window to fix it. Here is what happens and what to do right away.

A plain-English walkthrough of a Riverside County arrest, from booking at a county jail to the first court date, with the steps families can take along the way.

A bail bond in California typically costs 10% of the bail amount, and that premium is non-refundable. Here is what you pay, what you sign for, and how to spot an unlicensed agent.

There is no fixed release time at West Valley Detention Center. Here is what happens after booking, how bail is set and posted, and what tends to slow release down.

Before you co-sign a bail bond, learn what an indemnitor is responsible for, how collateral and forfeiture work in California, and how to protect yourself.

Where to search in each Southern California county's official inmate locator, what information you need, and why someone might not show up yet.