If you are arrested in the state of Texas, you don't have to get stuck in jail - at least not for long. The state offers three different options for jail release. If you're lucky, you can get out of jail free. However, if you're not, there are still a couple of solid options. Read on to find out more. 

Qualifying for Own Recognizance Release

The state of Texas does allow people to get out of jail free sometimes. This release, called "own recognizance release," is limited to misdemeanor cases. To get out of jail free, it almost has to be a perfect storm of circumstances. The biggest factor in own recognizance release becoming a possibility is usually jail overcrowding. If there are too many people in the jail already, the court would prefer not to add others unless it is truly necessary. In these situations, a court representative may conduct interviews with all of the people who are new arrivals at the jail.

The purpose of the interview is to determine whether there is any flight risk in allowing the arrested individual to return home. Determining flight risk can be multi-part but is usually contingent upon a couple of factors, including:

• Whether the individual has a local address
• Whether the individual has lived locally for a significant period of time
• Whether the individual has local family
• Whether the individual has a verifiable history of work at a local employer

If an arrested person can prove that they meet all of the above qualifications, the chances to qualify for an own recognizance release may be good. However, without jail overcrowding even a perfect candidate for own recognizance release may be stuck in jail. In this case, there are a couple of other options for fast release from jail.

Posting Cash Bail

Posting cash bail is one option for getting out of jail quickly. However, it is usually very expensive. The cash bail for a misdemeanor in the state of Texas is $5,000 unless a magistrate judge sets another bail amount in the initial 24 hours after arrest. Since this is too much money for many people to come up with on the spur of the moment, most people who need to get out of jail fast in Texas opt for bail bonds.

Getting a Bail Bond

A bail bond is an agreement between three different parties: The person charged with a crime, the bail bond issuer, and the court. The arrested person will pay a percentage (usually 10 percent in the state of Texas) of the total bail bond amount to the bail bondsman. The bail bondsman also makes a legal promise to the court that if the person charged with a crime does not show up for future court appearances, the bondsman will pay the entire bail to the courts.

Because the bail bondsman is forming a legal agreement with the court on behalf of the arrested individual, they require a similar legal agreement with the arrested person. In addition to paying the percentage of the bond, the person charged with a crime will need to legally agree to appear at all future court dates. While a bail bond isn't refundable, it is a relatively cheap way to get out of jail when a "get out of jail free" card just isn't available! For more information about bail bonds, visit All-Mobile Bail Bonds.