Walk It Through: The Bond at First Appearance
A bond set, a no contact rule for 72 hours, and cash that comes back at the end.
At the first appearance on a battery charge, the magistrate sets an appearance bond.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A misdemeanor battery charge with release the same day. A felony bound over, a sex offense with a prior, and a bond forfeiture are left to other pages.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Appearance bondThe bond on which a person charged with a crime is released at the first appearance, in an amount the magistrate sets to make sure they come back and to protect the public.
- First appearanceThe arrested person's appearance before a magistrate, which comes without unnecessary delay, where the terms of the appearance bond are set.
- Person crimeA crime the code labels person rather than nonperson; burglary of a dwelling is a person felony, while burglary of another building is a nonperson felony.