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At this bail hearing there are four factors

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that a judge will consider in deciding whether to reduce bail

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or grant an OR. First of all, the judge looks at the

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seriousness of the new underlying offense.

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Did it involve violence? Did it involve corruption? Was there

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an alleged victim who was injured or who was out a lot of money.

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The more serious the crime, the less likely the judge

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is to lower bail or grant an OR release.

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The second factor that the judge looks at is the defendant's

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criminal history. So somebody who has a clean record

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obviously is going to fare much better at a bail hearing than someone who has

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an extensive criminal past. The third factor that the judge

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looks at in a bail hearing is the probability that the person

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will come back to court for future court dates. We sometimes call

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this the issue of whether the person is at flight risk.

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In accessing, the judge is gonna look at how long has a person lived

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in the community, are they a long time resident or a transient?

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The judge also looks at, have they ever failed to appear

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for court dates in the past? Do they have a record of failing to appear?

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And the judge will look at whether they have substantial ties to the community.

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Does the person have a family and a job and

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civic activities in a home, or own property in the community?

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The more the person is stable and has a long term presence

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in the community and ties to the community, the more likely the judge

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is to reduce bail or grant an OR release. The fourth and final factor

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that a judge looks at a bail hearing and probably the most

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important is whether the person poses a danger to public

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safety. Is a person accused of a crime involving violence

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or weapons? Does a person have a violent history?

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If the judge feels that the defendant, if released would

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pose a danger to witnesses in the case or the alledged victim in the case

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or the community in general, then the judge will be very hesitant

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to lower that bail or grant them an OR release.

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I am attorney Neil Shouse, if your loved one is

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custody and you're looking to get bail reduced or an OR release

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call me and let's see what we can do to get that accomplished.