What Is a Warrant Remanded Without Bond?

The judicial process is complex, as courts strive to protect the rights of all individuals involved in legal cases. As part of the judicial process, judges issue warrants. These sometimes order that a person be remanded - in other words, detained in jail. Sometimes remanded defendants may post bond to go free, but judges don't always give bond to defendants who are remanded under warrants.

Judges issue formal documents called warrants that give law enforcement the right to engage in some action, such as searching a house, that they believe is necessary for justice. Warrants sometimes give authorities the legal authority to make an arrest. Generally, for a judge to issue a warrant, he must have some evidence that you might have broken the law.

"To remand" refers to two different legal actions. In one, a judge sends a case back to a different court because, for example, a judge has made a mistake that requires a new trial or a judge feels another court would handle the case better. In regard to warrants, "to remand" means to detain or to put someone in custody. A person remanded on a warrant goes to jail until her case is over. Being remanded doesn't necessarily mean that you are guilty of a crime. It just means that authorities believe there is a significant reason why they should not let you go free.

People often use the terms "bail" and "bond" interchangeably because they both deter defendants from fleeing. However, the words describe different methods of doing so. Bail refers to a cash payment a defendant makes to stay out of jail until and during his trial. You get bail money back when your trial is over. By contrast, bond refers to a promise made by a bondsman to pay a specified amount of money if a defendant doesn't appear in court. You cannot get bond money back.

When you are arrested on a warrant, a judge may remand you to jail, depending on the circumstances surrounding your arrest. If the judge remands you to jail, she sometimes allows you to post bail or bond, letting you go free until your trial is over. However, the judge might not give you the option of posting bail or bond if she determines that the risk of you fleeing is too great or that your release would pose a significant risk to the public. In this case, you have to stay in jail and cannot use money to get out. Judges determine whether to deny bail or bond on a remanded warrant and arrest on a case-by-case basis.