Domestic violence is an incident in which two family members who are living together, usually a spouse or a family member, engage in any type of mental or physical violence. If you are accused of domestic violence and you are attempting to make bail, there are additional steps you might need to take.

Your Bail Hearing

With a domestic violence case, you must make a mandatory court appearance before you can be offered bail. The judge will take into account several factors when determining your bail, such as whether you have any prior arrests, whether your spouse needed an order of protection, and whether there were any other violent incidents in your past.

Also, if the judge believes that you are a threat to your spouse, and especially to your children, you may have your bail set very high, and your bail might be denied altogether.

The Procedure

First, the judge will need to determine if there is probable cause. In most cases, the judge will determine that there is probable cause. Then, the judge will set the bail amount based on the hearing's schedule. Usually, the judge will issue a no-contact order, regardless of how credible the allegations are. 

This means that you will be prohibited from being within a specific distance of the other party and you cannot contact them through any means. You may even be required to wear a GPS monitor.

The Importance of Posting Bail

If you believe that the domestic violence charges are without merit and you wish to fight them in court, posting bail is one of the best things you can do. Once you have posted bail, it will be much easier to meet with a lawyer and perform the research that is necessary to win your case. 

You may be in jail for several hours before you are able to post bail. However, there are fortunately bail bond services that are open 24 hours a day and will help you expedite the process. A friend or family member may be able to contact the bail bond service and make any necessary arrangements, such as putting up collateral. 

You might feel tempted to represent yourself in court, but being found guilty of domestic violence can lead to serious consequences. Not only will you possibly spend time in jail and pay a fine, but you will also have a record of domestic violence that can affect your future.

Contact a local spousal abuse bail bonds service, such as Bail Busters, to learn more.