Video: What Factors Into Bond Settings

COLUMBUS, Miss.(WCBI)—It’s one of the first step in the legal process after an arrest: appearing before a judge to have bond set.

Judges determine bonds based on the crime and a number of other factors.

Lowndes County Justice Court Judge Chris Hemphill has been setting bond amounts for suspects for 8 Years.

He says, there’s no formula for determining an amount. He treats each case separately.

“Typically when a defendant comes before the judges, either the municipal or justice court judge several factors you have to look at.  Of course, what the crime is, what the alleged crime is, what their connections are to the community whether they are a flight risk,” said Hemphill.

Hemphill says judges have to keep in mind that suspects have been *accused* of a crime; not convicted.

“Well, you don’t want to set the bond too high. You don’t want to set the bond too low. So you’re not putting someone in jail just because they are accused of a certain crime. Some times there are crimes you say ok, knee jerk lets set a really high bond. It’s still they are innocent till proven guilty, it’s still just an allegation at that point,”said Hemphill.

For some suspects, bond is set once at the time of the arrest. Others may have to wait for a hearing. In either case, Hemphill says the amount can be adjust as the case matures.

“If they get an attorney, quite often we hear a reduction hearings as apart of a preliminary hearing. At that point the attorney may bring forward that hey this person really does have a lot of contacts. it’s not likely they’re going to flee. at that point either your municipal or justice court judge could consider lowering that bond, said Hemphill.

Now because setting bond relies heavily on the circumstances of a particular case, you’ll want to consult an experienced criminal defense attorney in your area to evaluate the factors as they apply to your situation.