Bail Bonds

The Criminal Commissioners of the 24th Judicial District Court set bonds during court hours Monday through Friday when the courts are in session. A Criminal Commissioner is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to set the amount of bail. The Commissioners use a bond range chart to set bonds. This results in consistency in the setting of bonds, taking into consideration the nature of the charge and the criminal history of the defendant.

When an individual is arrested for a crime they will be taken to the Jefferson Parish lockup and booked prior to being incarcerated. Once arrested and booked, a defendant is entitled to have a bond set, except for capital cases. The basic release options available to a defendant as determined by Judge/Commissioner are cash bail, surety bond, property bond and release on his own recognizance.

CASH BAIL:

Cash for the total amount of bail in the form of cashier’s check or money order delivered to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. If the defendant shows up for all his scheduled court appearances, the bail is returned at the conclusion of the case. If the defendant fails to appear, the bond is forfeited to the court.

SURETY BOND:

This process involves the arrestee or a relative or friend of the arrestee contacting a bail bondsman to arrange for a bond to be posted in the amount of bail to guaranty the arrestee’s return to court.

PROPERTY BOND:

This option involves placing actual property with the court as security for the defendant’s release from custody. If the defendant fails to appear for a court date, the court may take actions to foreclose on the property to obtain the forfeited bail amount.

OWN RECOGNIZANCE:

This process is sometimes offered to defendants with no past criminal record or non-violent offenses. If a defendant fails to appear for a scheduled court date while out on this type of bond, usually the bond is forfeited and the defendant will be required to post one of the above listed bonds.