Introduction:
Several questions have likely crossed your mind if you have ever gotten sent to Jail. How long can someone stay in Jail? Or how much will your Bail cost? This article will cover different reasons people get sent to Jail, possible jail sentences you could serve for those crimes, what happens to your debt when you go to Jail, and the process of how bail bonds work.
Drug Possession:
Drug possession is a common reason people find themselves behind bars. In Utah, getting arrested with drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or marijuana comes with severe penalties. With marijuana, for example, you could face fines as high as $1,000 and a potential jail sentence of up to 6 months. With cocaine, you could face fines as high as $5,000 and receive a penalty of up to five years, depending on what the court decides, based on any prior criminal activity you may have committed. A drug like heroin is very addicting and damaging and carries very steep penalties; the court could order you to pay fines that could very well be as high as $10,000; even just possessing heroin is no joke. Whether you intended to use it or sell it to someone else, you could get yourself a sentence of up to 5 years behind bars. Illegal drugs will affect every part of your life. They will even reduce your ability to operate large machinery or vehicles safely.
DUI:
If you get caught operating a vehicle in an altered state, you will get hit with a charge known as a DUI, which stands for driving under the influence. Many people associate a DUI with having alcohol in your body while you’re behind the wheel. In contrast, alcohol is certainly one way to get a DUI, and you may not have realized that having drugs in your system like cocaine or marijuana are also reasons people get a DUI charge on their record. In Utah, the penalties you face for a DUI charge may include two days in Jail, a possible prison sentence of 180 days, a fine of $1,300 or more, and a judge may suspend your license and even sentence you for up to 4 months for a DUI charge.
Theft
Like a DUI charge, a theft charge also carries a potential sentence of up to 4 to 6 months. People taking something that doesn’t belong to them without payment or permission is why people get this charge. Breaking into someone’s house, breaking into a locked car, shoplifting, or even pickpocketing are all considered forms of theft. The fines and potential jail sentences depend on the value of the items that have been stolen. If the stolen items are worth $500 or less, you could face fines of $1,000 and spend up to 6 months in Jail. If you steal items worth over $5,000, like a car or jewelry, your fines could be as high as $10,000, and you could face up to 10 years behind bars.
Debt after being arrested:
- If you or someone you know ends up behind bars for drug use, DUI, or something else entirely, what you may not have thought of in the heat of the moment, is what will happen to your debt after you’re behind bars. Those credit card payments or that mortgage you have on your home don’t just go away because you did. Whoever issues your loan is still legally allowed to collect on the debt you owe them.
Bail Vs. Bond:
Now you know what happens with your debt while you’re in Jail and the different penalties that come with various crimes, how do you get out of Jail while you wait for your court date? That’s where a bondsman comes in. A bondsman will typically offer two types of services: Bail or bonds. With Bail, the bondsman will pay a cash payment to the court to ensure you show up to your court hearings and are released from Jail as you wait for those dates to come. Later, the court will refund the Bail if you follow their requirements. A bond is a little different concept than Bail. With a bond, the bondsman will pay the fee to the court, and you typically pay a certain percentage of the cost to the bondsman, and the amount paid to the court on your behalf generally is not refunded to you. You can also use personal property to secure your bond, but if the court finds that you have not satisfied all its requirements, they can legally seize that property. Hopefully, you never get arrested for any crime. But, if you or someone you know happens to get arrested, you now have a much better understanding of the different penalties for different crimes and how the concept of bail bonds works.
