Bail Bonds in Lackawanna County, PA – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

Numerous Pennsylvania bail bond agents can bail you out anytime in Pennsylvania. At your request, many bail bond companies can come pick you up privately. If you use a bail bondsman, installment payment plans are often available depending on the situation.

Knowing your bail options helps you better understand how bail bonds work in Pennsylvania. You should first explore Release On Recognizance (ROR), which means you will be released from jail for no fee. The court system views you as a low risk individual that committed a small offense and therefore trusts you to obey Pennsylvania law upon release while also being confident that you will be present for all court dates. The other free bail options in Pennsylvania are 'Release on Non-monetary Conditions' and 'Release on Unsecured Bail Bond'. Non-monetary conditions means that you will be released from a Pennsylvania jail with no money to pay but the court may put other conditions in place as part of your release agreement, such as drug testing, monitoring device, or phone/in-person check-ins. Release on Unsecured Bail Bond means that you will not have to pay anything to be released, however you will be held liable for the full bail bond amount if you do not meet all requirements of your release, like not attending court dates as expected.

Other means of release involve paying a fee for a bail bondsman or paying the bail bond in full through cash or property. Upon arrest anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania, a person is usually processed at the local county jail. To be released from jail, several steps must occur, including being booked and posting bail. When the bail bond amount is confirmed, a bail bond agent comes to post the bond at the local jail. Now the release process begins and typically can take anywhere from one to two hours to complete. Using the service of a bail bondsman typically requires collateral and someone to co-sign on the bail bond.

We highly recommend reading of our complete guide on how bail bonds work to learn more about the bail process. If you are attempting to bail someone out from another state, you can talk with your local bondsman - that's the bondman in your county, and not the state where the person is detained.

In Pennsylvania, bail bonds through a bondsman will cost you 10% for the first $100 and up to 5% for each additional $100. These are fixed bail costs as written in Title 42 PA $ 5748. There are a few other bail bond fees that are not included in this amount like the judgement fees that range between $30 and $50 depending on the county in Pennsylvania.

Make sure to check with your bail bondsman on any other contractual rules outside of bail bond fees - like tracking devices, check-ins, travel rules outside of the state of Pennsylvania, and any drug or alcohol checks. While these bail bond stipulations are not actual direct money costs, they do take up your time from school and work and increase your risk of not meeting your release obligations.

We recommend reading our guide on how much bail costs for a deep dive into fees bondsmen charge. It's also critical to understand that you do not get bail money back, specifically the 10% bail fee back from the bondsman.

Annual number of crimes that were reported to the police in Lackawanna County, PA. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

We provide estimates on average bail prices for different misdemeanor and felony crimes in Lackawanna County, PA. These are estimates since the exact amounts can vary substantially depending on your age, details involving the charge, criminal history, and prior record of not appearing to court.

• Assault – Ranges from $2,500 to $10,000 depending on type of assault
• Drugs – Possession of controlled substance can range from $500 to 2,500 bail
• Robbery - $25,000 to $100,000 bail amount
• Murder – No bail amount set or $1 million in some cases
• Manslaughter – Voluntary manslaughter $100,000 and involuntary starting at $25,000
• DWI / DUI - $500 to $2,500 depending on history and details surrounding the offense
• Public Intoxication – Typically $200 to $500
• Burglary - $20,000 minimum but up to $50,000 in some areas

Check our detailed guide to learn more about how bail is determined, find additional bail prices for crimes, and find out how bail can be lowered.

Key demographic data based on Census for Lackawanna County, PA. Much of this information can be useful for bail bondsmen who are prospecting the county as a possibility to start a bail bonds business. Education, income, and employment statistics are vital in assessing the overall risk of a population when it comes to lending money for bail. Median home values are useful to determine collateral for property bail bonds.

Unemployment data is based on Bureau of Labor statistics. Employment status is the single most important piece of information that bail bondsmen consider when deciding to bail someone out of jail. Having a job and an active income stream is the single most impactful reassurance bondsmen can have.

Property bonds are a good way of making bail if an individual has equity in their property but very little or no cash. By looking at the median home values in Lackawanna County, PA, we can roughly estimate the asset potential the county’s residents have.

We pride ourselves on our reader focused approach, which includes providing information on resources that may be useful.

It’s generally a good idea to get in touch with a lawyer to seek assistance for the trial, fair sentencing, and even to challenge the bail amount that is being set for the person you are looking to release from jail. Particularly when cash bail is set, it’s important that bail is set fairly, which is an area where a lawyer can assist.

If you need free or low-income legal help, you may qualify for assistance from the American Bar Association.

One of the shortcomings of the bail system is the time someone can be stuck in jail – it’s often enough time for a person to lose their job. To make matters worse, having a tarnished record further complicates matters. This is why we are listing reputable job centers near Lackawanna County, PA to help get people back on their feet.