KIRKSVILLE, MO-OTTUMWA, IA -- Who decides the bond amounts set for those arrested on criminal charges and how are they set? That topic is the subject of our Facebook story of the day.
Adair County Associate Circuit Court Judge Kristie Swaim said on Thursday that bonds are made to secure defendants to make an appearance in court and to make sure that there is no danger for victims, witnesses, and the community. Bonds are also set based on the charges of the crime and that it is the law enforcement’s responsibility to post the bond.
"So when a bond is actually posted and bail is posted. It's posted with law enforcement and law enforcement transfers it to the court, weather it would be this court, or circuit court, or another county's court, whoever they're holding it for. It's taken along with the case until it's either disposed or released back to whoever posted it." Says Swaim.
She also explained that bond amount is based on a fraction of information when the charge is first filed in a case. But it can be modified at the defendant’s first court appearance at a later date.
In Iowa, the bond schedule is set by state code, which is set by the state supreme court. Judges and magistrates follow a set of guidelines for bond amounts, depending on the severity of the crime ranging anywhere from 300-5000 dollars for misdemeanors and 5000-hundreds of thousands of dollars for felonies. But if neither are on duty and bond needs to be set, then it would be the court that will follow the bond schedule.
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