How To Bail Your Friend Out Of Jail

So one of your friends confused the front desk at the Delano with a toilet and has ended up in the back of a Miami Beach Police car. And the sooner you can bail your friend out the better. After the police tell you to go on your way, here is what you should do to expedite your buddy’s release…

1. Party On! - You won’t even be able to post bond until your friend is booked downtown, and that can take several hours. So no need to rush, enjoy the rest of the night and worry about your pal in the morning.

2. Find Out Where He Is - Your friend may not necessarily be at DCJ. Many prisoners are also taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center, or TGK, near Miami International Airport for temporary

custody.  You can try and locate your friend the next morning by calling Miami-Dade County Corrections at 786-263-7000 or you can use the online inmate search here.

3. Get Bail – The amount you’ll need depends on how bad your friend screwed up. For most misdemeanors, Miami-Dade County typically sets bail at $1000. For a class-C felony, it can be up to $5000. For more serious felonies, the amount varies from case to case. All you need to bond him out is 10% of the total bail, then any of the court-approved bail bondsmen posted on the wall next to the front desk at DCJ will put up the rest. That 10%, however, you will not see again.

4. Post bail at TGK – Whether your friend is downtown at DCJ or out at this facility, you must post bail here. If you choose to go through a bail bondsman, he or she will typically post it for you, but because many have offices or representatives near TGK, they may ask you to meet them near this facility.

5. Wait 6-10 Hours – “Corrections, they wait until the end of the day to release everybody,” says one bail bondswoman I talked to. “They don’t do anything ‘till the end of the shift, then let everybody go at once.” This, she says, typically takes 6-10 hours from the time you post bond. Just make sure your friend has a ride home, as Miami-Dade corrections has been known to re-arrest those released for loitering if they remain outside too long.

Related Categories: Miami: Local News, About the Author: Matt Meltzer is a featured columnist at Miami Beach 411. See more articles by Matt Meltzer. See more articles by Matt Meltzer Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

Discuss the surrounding area in our hugely popular Miami forum.