WARNING: You should always hire your attorney before your Maryland bail review. Failure to do so can cause catastrophic results that may be difficult, if not impossible, to undo.
Maryland bail review reform has been a big discussion and several changes have been made to the bail review laws. However, it is not as straightforward as you may think. Some changes have been good, and some bad for our clients.
Table of Contents
Basics of Maryland Bail Review
After you or a loved one is arrested certain laws protect you from sitting in the jail for too long a period of time without someone addressing bail. In Maryland, a court commissioner (does not need be a lawyer), must see you within 24 hours of arrest.
When you do this first appearance with the commissioner certain basics are covered with you. You will be told the basics of the charges, their maximum penalties, and be afforded the right to counsel.
If you do your Commissioner hearing by yourself, you will be forced to argued for your own release despite not having any training. You can ask for a public defender as well.
If you are denied bail by the commissioner, then you have the right to bail review by a real judge in the district court. This is the most critical step. After you are seen by the real judge in district court you are not entitled to further bail review hearings. We strongly advise all clients or potential clients to never have a bail review hearing without experienced counsel.
Criminal cases can last well over a year and spending that long in pretrial detention is traumatic. When Seddiq Law attorneys handle bail review hearings we take is as seriously as we do a jury trial because we know our client’s freedom means everything.
Changes in Maryland Bail Review Laws.
Over the last decade there have been several changes in the bail review laws. Some are good, some are bad.
First, the biggest positive change, is that the jail cannot hold you just because you are too poor to post a money bond. If you don’t have the money, they have to review potential conditions of release (like pretrial supervision) that can reasonably ensure the safety of the community and that you will appear in court.
The law is clear now that detaining someone pretrial is a very last result. That is a positive change.
The most negative change in the law is the fact that it is much harder to get those accused of violent crimes out on bail. With gun and assault crimes on the rise courts are much less inclined to release these clients pretrial for the fear that they may repeat their alleged acts.
If you are charged with a violent offense you will need to be even more prepared if you wish to be released.
Types of Bail Release Options Available in Maryland
We work with our clients to think of several different ways to convince the judge to release them before trial. This requires to get to know our client and their families quickly. The sooner we get hired the better we can assist them in getting them out.
Sometimes our clients agree to house arrest, or drug treatment, or supervised pretrial probation. Sometimes there is a small bond to pay. Every case is different. We promise, if you hire our firm, to do everything we can in our power to help you in being release from jail.
Free Bail Review Consultation.
Many times our clients are arrested in the middle of the night. Our firm answers calls 24/7. We frequently get hired by a family at 1 am and are doing commissioner hearings by 2 am. We are here to serve you. Call us at 301.513.7832 to get your free bail review consultation today.