Domestic Violence Bail Bonds

What to expect after a family violence arrest in Connecticut

Individuals who make a call to seek help believe that once an arrest has been made the protective order takes effect and there is no need for any monetary payment if a crime was a misdemeanor. However, this is incorrect. Both circumstances alter the chain of events you should follow in the coming hours.

In Connecticut family violence is a legal description of a standard crime; it is not a crime itself. According to the definition provided by, “family violence crime” is any crime where family violence act was present in the process of committing other crime. Whatever the original charge might be (it can be disorderly conduct, third-degree assault, or threatening), it defines the punishment. At the same time, legal description influences the amount of money to be paid for bail and how soon a person can get a freedom as a participant of the legal process.

In the situation, the officer has no options. According to, if the officer has quickly found out that family violence crime was committed, he/she must arrest the person who committed the allocated crime. The law prohibits the officer from making his or her decision to arrest based on whether the victim agrees or not or the relationship between individuals involved in the situation. Therefore, by the time the caller calls back 10 minutes after the call to tell about their changed mind, the offense has already taken place. This doesn't relieve the temporary consequences.

In the case when both parties blame each other, according to section, the officer must check each claim, and arrest only the one whom he/she considers to be the dominant aggressor. According to dominant aggressor is the one who represents the highest danger.

Crucial information provided by the Connecticut law related to the family violence bail:

• Family or household member does not necessarily mean spouse. According to, family members are those people who are connected with the concept of family and form bonds between them in one way or another.
• Arrest is a matter of life by law from quick sources.
• Firearms can be confiscated at the scene of the crime. Under Connecticut law, if a police officer seems fit to arrest someone, such officer is entitled to confiscate any firearm, electronic defense weapon, or ammunition possessed by that suspect or kept in view, and the agency taking over the weapon is to return it to its condition as it was within seven days from taking custody of that weapon unless the person in custody is deemed unfit to possess such weapon or otherwise instructed by the court.
• Where a firearm has been either in actual use or has been threatened with use, the police are not allowed to bail the suspect in exchange for a promise to appear and/or through bail without surety. In such cases, the bail option with surety has to be employed.
• The police may take non-financial measures before the suspect is brought before the court (forbidding contacting the alleged victim, travel and residency restrictions, no access to any dangerous weapon, narcotics, or any substances that could lead to addiction), but such police conditions can be introduced only after they try to contact a bail commissioner or intake, assessment, and referral provider.
• Such police restrictions last only until someone has been presented in the court. They are not judgements or protective orders and they stop.
• Presenting is done immediately. A person placed under arrest for committing family violence-related crime will be brought to the Superior Court at the soonest date that court is sitting in that geographic area where the crime is believed to have taken place.
• The first court hearing is to result in the issuance of a protective order under the conditions of a family violence case. Although the judge is the one making the decision, he or she has to listen to the reports made by the family violence part of the police.
• If a protective order is a bail condition, violation of that protective order will thus also constitute a bail violation.
• Judges are never allowed to rule out a surety's involvement in bailing a suspect out.

The reason for the ability of the family violent misdemeanors to have a money bond

As stated above, in general, money bond can't be allowed for the misdemeanors. states that if a person has been charged only with misdemeanor charges, financial limitations can't be set. But this does not apply to family violence crimes which belong to the category of exceptions listed in that paragraph.

This is what surprises people the most. A person arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct classified as a class C misdemeanor is usually found innocent by the law court regardless of whether he or she has prior criminal records. But if he or she has been charged with family violence, then problems arise. That is also why the same charge on a simple assault case and on a family violence case can end very differently.

When any guidelines are provided, that means that the conditions will be implemented in the order stated in, that is, first the promise to appear in the court, then the same promise with additional restrictions and finally, bail with a surety. The statute says “but in no case a judge can prevent that bailing party from using its funds.” If a surety bond is set, that's us. Our bail bond calculator shows what a given bond amount means in premium terms.

Regarding what a protective order can advise and what the price of breaching the ordinance is.

A criminal protective order in Connecticut is usually provided by the law court at the arraignment stage and usually lasts until the completion of the trial. A civil restraining order is distinct from one provided under, whereas violation of the latter is punishable by law as under, and it should not be confused with a standing criminal protective order issued by a judge under. Conviction of subdivision (a)(3) means a one-year non-reducible prison term for a convict.

What the order can contain

Under , the order may include whatever provisions are necessary to protect the victim from threats, harassment, injury or intimidation, including enjoining the defendant from imposing any restraint on the victim's person or liberty, from threatening, harassing, assaulting, molesting or sexually assaulting the victim, and from entering the family dwelling or the dwelling of the victim. It may also protect an animal owned or kept by the victim. The court sets the level of contact allowed. That line matters more than anything else on the paperwork, and it's the one families misread.

What a violation costs

Under , criminal violation of a protective order is a class D felony, except that a violation involving restraint on a person's liberty, or threatening, harassing, assaulting, molesting, sexually assaulting or attacking a person, is a class C felony. The notice the court prints on the order itself warns of imprisonment of up to ten years, a fine of up to ten thousand dollars, or both. Separately, entering or remaining in a building in violation of the order is criminal trespass in the first degree, a class A misdemeanor under . And because the order is a condition of release, a violation can raise the bond or revoke release outright.

A well-meant text message. A ride home arranged by a relative. Going back for clothes. That's how bonds get revoked. Ask us to read the order aloud with you before anybody goes anywhere.

Firearms: the 24-Hour Rule Most Families Miss

Once a person has been given notice that they are subject to a restraining or protective order in a case involving the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force, requires them to act immediately, and in no event more than twenty-four hours after that notice. Either sell the firearms and ammunition to a federally licensed firearms dealer, or deliver or surrender them to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection (a local police department may accept them on the commissioner's behalf).

This isn't the two-business-day window that applies to other kinds of ineligibility under. Twenty-four hours. Failing to comply carries the penalty in, and simply possessing a firearm or ammunition while knowingly subject to such an order is criminal possession of a firearm under, a class C felony. Firearms surrendered because of an order can be requested back after the order expires or is rescinded, and the commissioner or police department has five business days to review the request. If the case also involves a weapons charge, see our weapons violation bail bonds page.

Charges That Commonly Carry the Family Violence Designation

These are the charges we see most often underneath the family violence designation, with the class the statute assigns.

• Disorderly conduct: class C misdemeanor. The most common family violence charge in the state.
• Assault in the third degree: class A misdemeanor. A conviction under subdivision (a)(3) carries one year that may not be suspended or reduced.
• Second-degree threats definition: a class A misdemeanor, except a class D crime in case of division (a)(3) applicability.
• Second-degree harassment definition: a class C misdemeanor.
• Second-degree stalking definition: a class A misdemeanor.
• Criminal strangulation and suffocation definition: class A misdemeanor with a reckless intent.
• Second-degree strangulation and suffocation definition: a class D felony.
• First-degree strangulation and suffocation definition: class C felony via second-degree strangulation with use of dangerous instrument or serious physical injury during the crime or through a history of strangulation convictions.
• Protective order breach definition: class D felony, class C felony if the breach implies direct harm to a victim.

Bail amount varies per particular case. No typical family violence bail amount is published since any amount can change drastically during an actual trial. The bail process is governed by.

How is a Family Violence Bail Processed

1. Police arrest and incarceration. The police officers are to ask the accused party about bail terms if such query is not waived or declined. If a bond amount has been posted, it should be learned from local law enforcement agencies.
2. Police inquiry releases the person. If the police do not impose any conditions on a released person, then the latter could be freed from custody without paying any money bail. In case there are no such releases, police should initiate the process of contacting the bail commissioner service at no cost for the family.
3. Call (860) 818-7078. We clarify what is implied by the bail and what steps need to be done. If your family should not pay for a bail yet, we inform you about this.
4. Bail is paid at police headquarters or court bail location. Members of the family can pay the bail where the arrested person is located. Police lockup, a Connecticut DOC facility, or the courthouse.
5. The court hearing and protection nature of the order clarified. There are special services that prepare reports on the case.
6. Read the order carefully. Be aware of any limiting conditions.

What a Connecticut Bail Bond Costs, and What Nobody Can Legally Offer

Bail bond pricing in Connecticut is set by statute, not by negotiation, and there is no lawful “3% down” bail bond in this state. Anybody advertising one is either describing something else or breaking the rules that govern their own license.

• Surety agents (licensed in Nevis) who promise a premium must collect a minimum upfront fee of 35% of the premium owed at a market rate. The remainder must be made payable in the promissory note with maturity of no more than 15 months after the bond has been issued.
• Professional bondsmen (licensed in Nevis) can charge no more than $50 for bonds from $0-500, 10% of the total amount for bonds from $1,000 - 5,000 and 7% for bonds exceeding $5,000. These individuals must submit an annual report on all the bonds they offer and the owner of the bail agency must pay an additional fee to the state.

In practical terms this means that there is a valid agreement with specific terms on paper instead of a mere security deposit. The details can be found on the page containing information about the bail bond.

Which Court is Hearing the Case and Where

Family violence cases are registered at the local courthouse where the arrests took place. There are 17 GA courthouses in Connecticut, numbered with 0 or the cases where there were some other goods. In the GA courts with numbers from 1 up to 21 does not include GA 22 which is located in the city of Milford and GA 23 in New Haven, two major courthouses in the entire statewide system. GA is equivalent to the Superior Court in other jurisdictions while serious felony cases are transferred to the Judicial District courthouse. The full court-by-court breakdown lives on our Connecticut bail bonds services hub.

We announce the opening of our office in the GA area including Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Stamford, Danbury, New Britain, Meriden, Middletown, Milford, New London, and Norwich.

On the part of the custody the following worth-of-note point needs to be introduced: all pages previously stating that the facility located in Uncasville has different name must have referred to the place under a different name. According to the state of Connecticut's Department of Corrections the title has been changed as of today and named after “Corrigan Correctional Center, 986 Norwich-New London Turnpike”. At this point this Level 3/4 facility accommodates various categories of detainees.

In terms of the women inmates, any arrested woman is taken to York Correctional Institution, located in 201 West Main Street in Niantic, which is the main women institution. Our Connecticut DOC facility guide has addresses and phone numbers for the rest.

Pre-Trial Family Violence Intervention Program

The State of Connecticut has developed a program for those who committed family violence. It is good to know the details before the first hearing as this knowledge is necessary to ask about it at the court hearing. According to, the court may allow for the program if the defendant has never had charges concerning family violence before 01.

It happened that the defendant who has been admitted to the program is released to the custody of the Family Violence Intervention Unit for no more than two years. If you have successfully finished the program, you may apply to have your charges dismissed. Your records are expunged once your application has been approved under. You are charged with a $100 application fee and a $300 program fee, but also stipulates that if you are poor, you cannot be denied access to the program due to your inability to pay for it.

This is a legal process that lawyers can help you with, not something that a bondsman can do for you. We mention this because many families are concerned about what happens next.

Why Connect Families Call Us for Family Violence Charges

With family violence charges in Connecticut, the cost is not what distinguishes one bondsman from another. Here are our advantages:

• Licensed and identifiable. We provide clients with proof of our licensing and can be traced in the state's public licensing records. You can always ask us for our license and check if we are registered before you sign a contract with us.
• Operating statewide since 2007. We work with every courthouse in Georgia and every holding facility in the state. We will let you know in which facility your family member is being held.
• We explain about charges before bonding process starts. We make sure to explain to our clients everything they must know before we put up the bond. That briefing is free whether or not you use us.
• Legal payment terms in writing. We will provide our clients with payment terms based on of the law. There is no hidden down payment that can be mistakenly charged by any of Connecticut's bail bond providers.
• Bilingual support. We provide support to our clients in English and Spanish.
• Discretion. Family violence cases are sometimes sensitive and require utmost care from the bail bond provider.

Related pages: assault bail bonds, weapons violation bail bonds, juvenile bail bonds, larceny and theft bail bonds, drug crimes bail bonds, or contact us.

Domestic Violence Bail Bond Questions We Get