Is there bail for a juvenile in Connecticut?

Usually there is no bail to post. In a delinquency case the arresting officer either releases the child to a parent, guardian or other suitable person, or asks a judge for an order to detain — and a child can be held only if a judge makes the findings required by C.G.S. § 46b-133(c). A judge may admit a child to bail under § 46b-133(b), and when a bond is set we post it. Once a case is transferred to the adult docket under § 46b-127, bail works exactly as it does in any adult case.

How soon does a detained child see a judge in Connecticut?

A child held in a juvenile residential center is entitled to a hearing on the business day next following the arrest. A child who is not detained is brought before a judge no later than the fifth business day after the arrest. A child may be held in a police lockup for no more than six hours — eight in the narrow case where a detention application is still pending or a parent cannot be reached — always separate from adult detainees, and never in solitary confinement.

Where is my child being held?

Connecticut has two juvenile residential centers, both run by the Judicial Branch: Bridgeport, 60 Housatonic Avenue and Hartford, 920 Broad Street. They are not Department of Correction jails. If a case is transferred to the adult docket and the child stays detained, custody moves to the Department of Correction — males aged 15 to 21 are held at Manson Youth Institution, 42 Jarvis Street, Cheshire.

Which Connecticut court hears juvenile matters?

Not a GA court. Ten Superior Court locations hear juvenile matters: Bridgeport, Hartford, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, Rockville, Torrington, Waterbury, Waterford and Willimantic. A case that has been transferred out of juvenile court is arraigned on the regular criminal docket instead, at the courthouse that serves the arrest town.

When does a Connecticut teenager end up in adult court?

Transfer is automatic for a class A or class B felony committed after the child turned 15, apart from the offenses carved out by § 46b-127(a)(3). For a class C, D or E felony or an unclassified felony, the prosecutor must move for transfer and the court must hold a hearing within 30 days of the juvenile arraignment. Separately, a 16- or 17-year-old charged with a motor vehicle offense starts in the adult system, where youthful offender status under § 54-76b may apply.

What does a Connecticut bail bond cost, and what has to be paid up front?

The premium is capped by statute, not set by the bondsman: § 29-151(a) allows at most $50 on a bond up to $500, 10% of the amount between $500 and $5,000, and 7% above $5,000 — so a $10,000 bond costs $850 at the ceiling. § 38a-660c(b) then requires at least 35% of that premium as a down payment, with the balance on a promissory note payable within 15 months. Any Connecticut agency advertising “3% down” or “no money down” is describing something the statute does not allow.

Juvenile Bail Bonds

Understanding Juvenile Bail Bonds in Connecticut - What Happens After an Arrest

CT Statutes

Laws governing juvenile bail bonds are covered under the Connecticut General Statutes.

Who It Covers

Juvenile bail bonds cover children who are delinquent (10-17 years old) or youthful offenders (16-17 years old) and who are charged with a crime.

When A Bond Applies

A juvenile bail bond only applies once bail has been set by a judge.

Available

At any given time forming 24/7 customer service support.

Liza Davis

Licensed Connecticut Bail Bond Agent · Since 2007

Liza Davis has been practicing as a bail bondsman in Connecticut since 2007.

Connecticut Juvenile Arrests - What You Need to Know Right Now

In most cases of juvenile arrest in Connecticut, the minors either get released to a parent or guardian or kept in a residential facility, where it is expected that a judge will review the case in the morning.

According to the, a police officer who brings in a minor into custody can: (1) Release the minor to a parent or guardian, (2) release the minor in custody, (3) go to court to get an order for holding the minor. At that point of time, there will be no schedule for posting bail, nor will there be any need for the bond agent to make things happen.

There are two possible scenarios when bail bond will work for minors at trial. The first one arises as a result of - a judge can set bail for a juvenile arrestee instead of releasing him/her to a parent, at which point the same mechanics for bail getting promoted for an adult will apply.

Liza Davis Bail Bonds is fully licensed to operate and serve clients in Connecticut. Give us a ring if you believe that your child's case warrants bail.

Your child has been arrested in Connecticut and you do not know what happens next.

Call and we will tell you where they are being held, when the hearing is, and whether a bond is even involved.

Now it is your time to call (860) 818-7078!

Critical Facts About Juvenile Detention and Bail in Connecticut

Delinquency covers ages 10 through 17. Under a "child" for delinquency purposes is at least ten years old at the time of the act and under eighteen. Certain 16- and since 2007-old matters - motor vehicle offenses among them - are excluded and start in the adult system.
According to, the judge must establish three things before placing a juvenile in detention and he or she must provide justification if detention is not desired.
A juvenile detained is given a hearing on the next business day. In the case of juvenile not detained, he is locked before the 5th business day after arrest and must be present in court.
Police lockup facility allows for a stay of up to six hours. The maximum stay might be extended to 8 hours in case of pending detention application or unreachable parent situation, which is also distinct from adult lockups and impossible for a juvenile to be held in solitary confinement.
The maximum duration of the order for juvenile detention is seven days (or until the hearing if this event occurs earlier); however, detention may be prolonged only through the detention review hearing.
The judge may additionally order the child to be bailed out before being released into the custody of parent or legal guardian. This is the only case in which a bail bond is relevant in delinquency case.
In case it is a serious juvenile case, the juvenile may be released from the juvenile detention center only through the judge's order.

What Happens to a Juvenile After the Arrest in Connecticut

The arrest. The police can either return your juvenile to you, assign him or her to his own custody, or make a request to the judge for detention order. It's important that the police notify the juvenile's parent or legal guardian, or take every possible effort to do so. If you do not receive the call either from the police or the juvenile, you should call arresting police department.
If your child is released, you will receive a complaint notice and summons regarding the court time. In the case of firearm cases, the time will be set for the next business day after arrest. There is no need to file any other papers or pay any sum. It's crucial to keep these dates in mind to avoid another delinquent charge again.
If the judge ordered the detention, your juvenile will be transferred to one of the two juvenile detention centers in Connecticut, undergo risk assessment according to the standard assessment tool, and wait for the hearing within one day of the arrest unless he or she is charged with serious crime.
Call (860) 818-7078 and provide the name of the town and the age of your juvenile, then you will receive all information regarding the case and juvenile detention.
If bail is issued or the case is transferred, the bond will need to be posted where the juvenile will currently be.

Where in Connecticut Juveniles Are Being Held

Both juvenile detention centers in Connecticut are managed exclusively by the Judicial Branch, rather than by the Department of Correction - the address of the first one is 60 Housatonic avenue in Bridgeport while the second one is set at 920 Broad street, Hartford. If a child is taken into custody and his or her case moved to the criminal docket, the Commissioner of Corrections takes custody of the child. For males, this means he will stay at the Manson Youth Institution located at 42 Jarvis Street, Cheshire, CT 06410. At this point, the case becomes an adult bail case and you may refer to our Connecticut Department of Correction facility guide for more details as well as to our Connecticut bail bonds page.

The ten Superior Court locations that hear juvenile matters

Juvenile matters cannot be heard on the GA docket. There are ten places where juvenile matters are heard:

Bridgeport - 60 Housatonic Avenue · bail bonds in Bridgeport
Hartford - 920 Broad Street · bail bonds in Hartford
Middletown - 1 Court Street · bail bonds in Middletown
New Britain - 20 Franklin Square · bail bonds in New Britain
New Haven - 239 Whalley Avenue · bail bonds in New Haven
Rockville - 25 School Street · bail bonds in Rockville
Torrington - 50 Field Street · bail bonds in Torrington
Waterbury - Kendrick Avenue · bail bonds in Waterbury
Waterford - 978 Hartford Turnpike · bail bonds in Waterford
Willimantic - 81 Columbia Avenue

What happens when a Connecticut case gets moved away from Juvenile Court

Automatic transfer. A juvenile who committed a class A or class B felony after their 15th birthday will automatically be moved to the regular criminal docket unless there are some exceptions present under. The juvenile's case will then be set for arraignment in criminal court where bail will also be determined first time around. The most common type of cases that parents face in this situation are assault charges - this is because first-degree assault is classified as a class A felony in Connecticut.

Discretionary transfer. Prosecutors must request a discretionary transfer when the juvenile is accused of having committed a class C, D, or E felony as well as unclassified felony. Prosecutors are able to request the transfer only if the juvenile was not older than 15 years old at the time of the crime, there is probable cause against him or her and the cases' public interest is served through transfer. When making this decision, courts would look into prior offenses committed by the juvenile and how serious those offenses were.

Youthful offender status. Youthful offender is someone who has committed a crime at the age of no more than 17 years old. Files related to youthful offenders are sealed for public access except for certain crimes that are classified as class A felonies. Bail is set and posted the same way as for all cases that are handled in adult court because youthful offenders are treated like adults.

Transfers can happen in reverse: the criminal court is able to transfer a case back to juvenile court at any time before a guilty plea is made.

What a Bond Costs in Connecticut, If One Is Set

This gives us the upper limit of $50 when it comes to bonding amount of $500, up to 10% for amounts between $500 and $5000, and up to 7% for amounts above $5000, hence:

$500 bond = maximum $50 premium
$5000 bond = maximum $500 premium
$10,000 bond = maximum of $850 premium
$50,000 bond = maximum $3650 premium

Moreover, dictates the minimum amount of money to be paid; there might be 35% as a minimum down payment, while the remaining balance will be paid according to a written promissory note within 15 months from the moment of cashing in. Those who want can find out all the related calculations using our bail calculator, just like they have access to all the necessary information about the remaining payments. Accepted methods and our staffed offices are listed on our contact page.

Questions and Answers Section

Is there bail in Connecticut?

Generally, there is no bail available when it comes to juvenile cases. In such cases, the officer who processes the case would either release the minor to the guardian or request the respective order from the judge; however, Child cannot be detained unless the court issues a respective decision allowing them to stay in detention.

How soon does a detained juvenile get to see the court in Connecticut?

If a juvenile has been abducted to any juvenile residencial center, he/she will have a hearing on the very next business day following the arrest. A juvenile can be detained in a police custody for a period of six hours and in special circumstances for a period of eight hours means detention application is still being processed or parent cannot be contacted. But the minor has to get the treatment separately and there is no confusion.

Where is my child being detained?

There are two juvenile residential establishments in Connecticut that operate under the judicial branch of the government which include Bridgeport situated at 60 Housatonic Avenue and Hartford located at 920 Broad Street. These establishments cannot be termed as correctional facilities. However, in case the case is assigned to the adult court while keeping the juvenile in custody the child is sent to Connecticut's correctional facility located at 42 Jarvis Street, Cheshire.

Which Court of Connecticut has the authority of hearing matters related to juvenile cases?

This is not a GA court. However, there are fourteen locations of Superior Court which have the authority of hearing matters concerning juvenile cases in project or case in Bridgeport, Hartford, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, Rockville, Torrington, Waterbury, Waterford and Willimantic.

When does minor come under the jurisdiction of adult court system in Connecticut?

It is important to mention that this process happens automatically in case of serious Class A or Class B crimes committed days before the turning of 15 years of age unless such offenses are specifically not mentioned in. As for the cases of class C, D and E crimes or crimes that are unclassified, the court can approve or deny such transfer request only on the condition that the prosecutor files the motion for this kind of transfer. The hearing on the matter should take place within thirty days from the time of juvenile arraignment.

How much does bail bond cost in Connecticut and what sum should be paid in advance?

The premium of the bond is actually set by the law of the state. That is why, the value of the bond, according to cannot be more than fifty dollars for bonds less than $500. In case of larger amounts, the premium is 10% and 7%, accordingly which makes bond with the value of 10000 cost $850 according to the legal maximum value. states that in this case at least 35% of the premium amount should be paid in advance while the rest is expected to be paid within 15 months.