In the Maryland Judicial System there are several case types. Most common ones regarding incarcerated individuals are:
District Court Criminal Cases
District Court Traffic Cases
Circuit Court Cases
Circuit Court Civil Cases
There are several types of bails. The most common type of bails are listed below:
Cash Only
Only the cash form of payment is acceptable for the bail.
Corporate Surety
Bondsman are commonly used for this type and post in corporate surety bails, some bondsman post cash bails but these are particular to the bonding company an individual chooses to use as are their rules and regulations to their respective business.
Property
The property of a person who is willing to use the equity in his/her property as collateral to post a bail.
Cash by Defendant Only
This is where the inmate or defendant must physically place the cash bail amount into the Commissioner’s possession, meaning the defendant must be present.
Or combinations can be used, of these most common types. There are variations and other types that are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Once an interested person determines an inmate at the Detention Center has a bail and is interested in posting it, the individual posting the bail needs to report to the Commissioner’s office located in Towson, Maryland. Directions and hours to the Commissioner’s office may be obtained by calling 410-512-2030, and following the prompts provided to receive the necessary information.
Once the interested individual has reported to the Commissioner’s office the Commissioner will verify the information with the Detention Center. After verification, the individual will give the bail money to the Commissioner who will in turn prepare the proper forms and a release. Once the Commissioner hands over the release to the individual, that person is responsible for bringing the release to the Detention Center. After the release is received, checked and verified, the release process is allowed to continue, provided the inmate has no other outstanding cases or detainers.
Bail Questions
For specific information regarding a particular inmate’s bail, please call our security desk at 410-512-3222 or 3223.
What is a Detainer?
Detainers can halt a release and prevent a person from being released from custody. A detainer, in common terms, is a case that is in the form of a warrant, untried indictment, information, or complaint against an inmate that is not yet considered “Served". Usually when the term detainer is used these are warrants or cases from other jurisdictions or out-of-state agencies, but they can also be from within the jurisdiction itself as new warrants are issued. There are numerous types of detainers used by different facilities and law enforcement agencies.
What are the Detainer Types?
There are two common types of detainers, those with bails and those without. These are referred to as “Served” and “Unserved” detainers. Once a detainer is served by a peace officer (meaning they must be taken before a Commissioner), a commitment will be issued with a bail. The commitment will be generated for the jurisdiction from whence the warrant or detainer came (if it is not from the jurisdiction it is being served in). This is what is now considered “Served”. In the case of “Unserved” detainers, these are warrants or detainers that have not yet been served, and the inmate will need to be transported back to the jurisdiction from where the warrant or detainer originated where that jurisdiction’s peace officers will “Serve” the inmate and start the adjudication process.
In reference to sentenced individuals, some have appeal bonds. These need to be posted at the court during normal business hours. If an inmate has a detainer for which he is sentenced, he or she will serve the sentence in the local jurisdiction until all of his local cases have been adjudicated. Then he will be transported to the jurisdiction where the sentence originated. Not all sentences are given appeal bonds.
This is paperwork given to current or former individuals seeking proof of their incarceration at the Detention Center. Other individuals, on behalf of the incarcerated inmate, may obtain this verification form too.
Former inmates must report to the Detention Center in person. With them they must bring their temporary Baltimore County Department of Corrections issued ID (these are only valid for 15 days from the issue date), or a valid photo ID issued by a government or state agency, and provide their current address and telephone number. The information will be reviewed and verified and then the pertinent document will be generated and given to the former inmate.
For inmates who are incarcerated, they may have an individual retrieve this information. That person will complete a waiver form, and the waiver will be taken to the inmate for his/her signature and approval. If the inmate denies the request, it will not be granted. The person requesting the information on an inmate’s behalf must also provide a valid photo ID issued by a government or state agency and provide a current address and telephone number.
Photo IDs will be accepted or denied at the discretion of the facility.
Q. Has an inmate been released on bail?
A. Once a bail is posted for an inmate, it is the responsibility of that individual to bring the original bail release to the Detention Center. Once it is received it must be reviewed and approved. This process can take from 20 minutes to an hour or more for the person to be released from custody. It is the Department's goal to expedite the process accurately, safely, and quickly as possible, but some delays are inevitable.
Interested parties may contact the facility at 410-512-3222 to inquire if a bail has been received; however, the facility will not know if a bail has been posted until the Bail Release is received at the front lobby.
Q. Can I have an inmate’s charges and or case numbers?
A. The Department of Corrections does not disseminate inmate charges or case numbers to the public. To obtain this information, please contact the court or inmate directly. Further, this information is not needed to post bail.
Revised April 17, 2008
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