1881 Ninth Street, Suite 305Boulder, Colorado
Telephone: 303-440-9684 | Fax: 303-442-0742
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If you are a "target" of a criminal investigation, or someone that the police suspect of involvement in criminal activity, you should retain counsel immediately. Critical decisions often have to be made in these early stages, such as whether to give a statement to the police, or how to respond to a subpoena, or what to do if there is a warrant for your arrest. It is important to know that you are never legally required to speak to the police, and in fact you have a constitutional right not to. However, sometimes it may be in your best interest to be fully cooperative. Criminal lawyer Mark Langston can help you decide the best course of action.
After arrest, a person is taken into custody and kept there until bail is posted. A defendant in Colorado has an absolute right to bail in all cases except for capital offenses, and certain preventive detention cases. Bail means the amount of money or other security set by the court that must be posted with the court for the release of a person in custody. The purpose of bail is to ensure that the person appears in court and complies with other conditions set by the court as a condition of release. Bond conditions might already be set if the arrest was effected by an arrest warrant. If the accused was arrested without a warrant, bond will typically be set at the first appearance or the advisement. The arresting officer can also exercise her discretion and release the person by issuing a summons requiring the person to appear in court on a future date.
The court setting bail may require that it be posted by either a secured bond or an unsecured bond. A secured bond may be posted by depositing cash with the court, or by depositing certain approved securities or real estate with the court, or through the use of a professional bonding agent - commonly called a bail bondsman - who has been approved by the State to post bonds on behalf of persons accused of crimes. An unsecured bond is merely a promise by the defendant to appear in court - a personal recognizance bond - or a promise by both the defendant and some other party that the defendant will appear in court - a co-signed personal recognizance bond.
The purpose of bail is to insure the defendant's future appearances in court and not to punish a defendant before he has been convicted. This purpose should be met by means that impose the least possible hardship upon the accused. Attorney Mark Langston helps his clients obtain pretrial release on reasonable bail.
1881 Ninth Street, Suite 305
Boulder, Colorado
Telephone: 303-440-9684 | Fax: 303-442-0742
Map and Directions | E-mail us
The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.
Copyright © 2012 by The Law Office of Mark T. Langston, P.C. All rights reserved. You may reproduce materials available at this site for your own personal use and for non-commercial distribution. All copies must include this copyright statement.