Central Arraignment
Bail Bonds Guide

For most downtown bookings, this is where a judge first addresses bail on the record. Before that first appearance, the amount you see is the county bail schedule figure applied at booking — not a judge's decision. At arraignment the court can keep the schedule amount, raise it, lower it, or release the defendant on their own recognizance.

California requires arraignment without unnecessary delay, generally within 48 hours excluding weekends and holidays. In practice a Friday-night booking often waits until Monday. That gap is precisely why families post the bail schedule amount rather than wait — posting a bond does not require an arraignment to happen first.

No. Bonds are posted at the facility holding the defendant, not at the courthouse counter. For Central Arraignment cases that usually means Twin Towers, Men's Central Jail, or the Inmate Reception Center on Bauchet Street — all within walking distance of the courthouse.

Arraignment calendars are public, but they move fast and the department is often crowded. If your goal is getting someone out, your time is better spent qualifying a bond by phone so the release process starts while the calendar is still running.

Usually not. Central Arraignment handles the front end. Downtown felony matters typically move to the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center for preliminary hearings, motions, and trial. Always read the next court date and courthouse name off the paperwork rather than assuming.

Yes. The Bauchet Street facilities accept bonds around the clock, and we write them 24 hours a day. Court hours limit hearings, not bail posting.

The court can forfeit the bond and issue a bench warrant. There is a statutory window to surrender or reinstate before the forfeiture becomes a judgment against the cosigner — call the same day it happens.