My Teen Was Arrested! Do I Need a Bail Bond?

Your teenager got into a little legal trouble over the holidays. While at a friend’s party, there was alcohol present and your son was drinking. Someone had called the police on the party and he was arrested for underage drinking. What happens next? Will you have to get a bail bond?

The juvenile criminal system in Pennsylvania works differently. For instance, when you get arrested as an adult, you will be detained until you are seen by a judge, where you are given bail. However, juveniles do not have a bail system to contend with. It’s up to the judge to decide what is in the juvenile’s best interests. For instance, if the juvenile has an unstable home life or is on probation for another offense, the judge will probably leave the child in detention. However, if this is your son or daughter’s first offense, chances are your child will be released to your custody with conditions, such as electric monitoring or house arrest.

Although, there are cases when a juvenile can be arrested and enter the adult criminal system. If that is the case, then your teen may receive money bail. Does this happen often? It does in Philadelphia. And these amounts are extremely high. According to a recent article from the Philadelphia Inquirer, out of the 46 juveniles that had been charged as adults from January to July in Philly, 34 had their bail set at least twice as high as the maximum as suggested by the court’s bail guidelines. Teens are being held on bail for more than $500,000.

Unfortunately, research has found that like adults, youths who are being detained are more likely to plead or be found guilty as well as more likely to commit crimes in the future. Obviously, if your juvenile is being charged as an adult and is in need of a bail bond, it’s best to work with an experienced bail bondsman to help you with the bail.

If you have a loved one in jail and need to bail him/her out, we can help. Contact Andrew Pizzo Bail Bonds today.