Charlotte County Jail, FL Bail & Bonds

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Charlotte County Jail

Address:
26601 Airport Road
Punta Gorda, FL 33982
Phone:
941-833-6300

Paying an Inmate's Bail or Bond in Charlotte County

The Charlotte County Sheriff recommends that you use a bail bond agent licensed to do business in Charlotte County.

You can pay a cash bond yourself, or use your home in Charlotte County, or in some cases the state of Florida, but the benefit of using a bail bond agent is that they take responsibility for making sure the inmate shows up for court in Charlotte County, and if they don't, then they take the financial responsibility.
The typical fee for a bond will be between 10-20% of the bail amount; usually 15%. So if an offender has a bail of $10,000.00, their bond will be $1500.00.

Call 941-833-6300 to find out the exact bond (plus other fees) amount, or look it up online by looking up the information on the Charlotte County inmate locator.

Who do I call to find out the Bond for an Inmate?

Please call the jail at 941-833-6300 for the type of bond and any information that is required for a particular individual at Charlotte County Jail.
A bond is set according to a court-approved schedule.
The purpose of the bond is to assure the offender's appearance in court.

Instructions on how to post Bail or Bond in Charlotte County

Because Charlotte County and Florida can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Charlotte County Jail at 941-833-6300, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, right after an arrestee has been booked.

Ask the staff at the Charlotte County Jail or the Charlotte County Court Clerk these specific questions:

Is the defendant eligible for bail or a bond?
How much will the bail or bond be, and what are the additional fees?
Where do I go to pay it?
Are there any days or times of the day or night when I cannot post bail?
What types of payment are allowed? Cash? Money order? Credit card? What types of credit cards? Property or other collateral? Surety bonds?
Do I have to use a bail or bond agent?

If you feel the bail is too high and you wish to get it reduced, contact a lawyer or the defendant's public defender and get them to look into what they can do to get a bail reduction. The sooner you get working on this the quicker you will get your loved one released.

This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.

Option 1 - How to Post Bail using Cash for a Defendant at Charlotte County Jail

The first option, a cash bond, is to pay the full bail amount in cash, cashier's check, or money order. Personal Checks are not accepted.

Depending on the crime, this amount could be anywhere from $100 to $75,000 or more.

To pay a cash bond, go to Charlotte County Jail or to the court where the bail hearing occurred. Going directly to the jail will quicken the release of the defendant as any bail paperwork processed at the court will have to be transferred to the jail.

Cashier's Checks and Money Orders may be made out to Charlotte County Jail where the defendant is being held, but usually to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office or to the Charlotte County Court.

To purchase money orders visit any Western Union, Moneygram or Post Office.

Option 2 - How to Post a Private or Surety Bond for a Defendant at Charlotte County Jail

In the event that someone does not have the full bond amount available to him or her, there is what is called a private bond or surety bond.

This is an agreement made with a bail agent or bondsman who will post the full bail amount. In return, the defendant and/or cosigner will pay a premium to the bail agent. This premium will be 10-15% of the full bail amount.

For example, if bail is posted at $5,000, then the premium will cost approximately $500-$750.

A bail agent will often require some form of collateral, for example, a lien on a house, a car or jewelry. This is to ensure that if the defendant skips bail, or does not appear in court, the bail agent has some sort of compensation for the full bail amount being paid.

Remember, by making an agreement with a bail agent the signatory takes responsibility for paying the full bail amount if the defendant does not appear in court.

Option 3 - How to Post a Property Bond for a Defendant at Charlotte County Jail

If you are a landowner in Charlotte County you may be able to post a property bond. Property within Charlotte County may be used as collateral to bail someone out. All owners of the property must be present to sign the bond in order for this to happen.

To find if property located outside of Charlotte County can be used as collateral, call a local bail or bond agent or contact a defense lawyer.

Click here for additional information on how to post bail at Charlotte County Jail.

Who can post Bail or Bond for a Defendant at Charlotte County Jail?

Anyone over the age of 18 who can produce a valid government-issued photo ID can post bail. Accepted forms of ID include a Photo Driver's License, Passport, or Motor Vehicle issued ID.

In many circumstances, if the defendant has the resources, they can post their own cash bail from jail.

Surety Bonds are arranged by a third party, typically a Florida state licensed Bail Bond firm.

Juveniles may only be bailed or bonded out of custody by a parent or legal guardian.

Charlotte County Justice System Flowchart

When will the Cash Bail or Collateral be returned to me?

Money or collateral will not be returned until the defendant's court case is finished, so realistically it could take several months to years, depending on the severity of the charges. If a defendant posts his or her own bail, Charlotte County Court may retain whatever amount of fines or fees have accumulated throughout the trial.

What happens to my Bail or Collateral if the Defendant misses Court?

The Charlotte County Judge may order a failure to appear warrant for the person's arrest or the Judge may order a Bail Commissioner's Letter be issued that will be sent to the person with a new court date.

If cash bail was paid, the entire amount may be forfeited.

Charlotte County Bail Bond Information

Ask the staff at the Charlotte County Jail or the Charlotte County Court Clerk these specific questions:

Is the defendant eligible for bail or a bond?
How much will the bail or bond be, and what are the additional fees?
Where do I go to pay it?
Are there any days or times of the day or night when I cannot post bail?
What types of payment are allowed? Cash? Money order? Credit card? What types of credit cards? Property or other collateral? Surety bonds?
Do I have to use a bail or bond agent?

This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.

Charlotte County Jail Inmate Mail Types

Postcards
The Charlotte County Jail allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature.

Envelopes
The Charlotte County Jail also allows regular postcards and envelopes to be mailed to inmates as well.

Personal postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & ID #
CCSO-SCH
PO Box 2027
Pinellas Park, FL 33780

Legal Mail
Legal Mail is mail from Attorneys, law enforcement, the courts, bail companies, etc.

Newspapers
Local or national newspapers may also be mailed to the inmate as long as they are mailed directly from the newspaper publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The Charlotte County Jail allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address above.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Charlotte County Jail standards will be disposed of. No more than three books may be shipped at any one time.
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.

All legal mail, newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & ID #
Charlotte County Jail
26601 Airport Rd
Punta Gorda, FL 33982

Charlotte County Jail Gives Inmates Access to Tablets At No Cost for Communication, Research and Entertainment

They may not be directly connected to the internet, but inmates at Charlotte County Jail are provided free tablets to use within the jail that allow them to have access to the following services and information:

Phone Calls - Inmates may make calls directly from their tablet allowing for more privacy. The rates are the same as the phones in the unit, and the calls are still recorded and monitored.
eMessaging - Communicate via a text based message or picture. Fee based system.
Job Search - Using JobView, a secure job search application, inmates have the ability to see what jobs are available when they are released.
Education - Free educational platform and course catalog that provides thousands of educational resources.
Self Help -Inmates have daily access to mental health and addiction recovery programming.
Music - Top-40, Hip-Hop, Country, Rock, Gospel, and more.
Law Library - Legal research with up-to-date case information.
eBooks - Thousands of available titles.
Religion - Religious resources for spiritual guidance.
Games - Inmates can play their favorite games. Available through monthly subscriptions
Facility Services - Digital access to submitted forms, requests, facility documents, and notifications from staff.
Video Visitation - Visitation may not be allowed on the Tablets. Call Charlotte County Jail at 941-833-6300 to confirm.

The availability of tablets may seem like something that inmates who are serving time do not deserve, but here are some of the benefits for inmates in Charlotte County:

Keeps inmates busy.
The threat of losing access to tablets keeps them better behaved.
Safer for the staff to keep inmates happy.
Allows communication with family members.
Educational programming.
Legal research.
Social programming such as anger management, substance abuse, etc.

For more information about Tablets and how your inmate can get one to use while he is in jail, chek out our Inmate Tablet page.

How to Arrange Video Visitation with Charlotte County Jail Inmates

Follow these instructions to schedule and then visit an inmate using GTL.

Register yourself and all visitors.
Select Charlotte County Jail
Select your inmate.
Schedule your preferred time for the visit.

For all the information you need to know regarding scheduling, cost, rules, tips and guidelines of inmate visits at the Charlotte County Jail, check out our Visit Inmate Page.

How Do You Communicate with an Inmate in the Charlotte County Jail by Phone

Follow these instructions on how to open an account with GTL Connect Network (aka Viapath Technologies)

Advance Pay - This phone account allows you to prepay so that your inmate can call you (and only you) whenever he/she wants and the cost of each call is deducted from your balance. You can even be notified by text when your balance gets low. You still have the option of accepting or rejecting each call.
Pin Debit - This option allows you to fund an inmate's commissary account and lets him pay for phone calls to you and others with the money. You will have no control over who your inmate calls.
Voicemail - You can leave a secure voicemail without having to contact the facility. When you call the local phone number for a facility offering Inmate Voicemail (call Customer Service at 877-650-4249 to get the local voicemail number for Charlotte County Jail, you will be informed of the cost for leaving a message. To leave your message, simply select the inmate by ID number. Then, record your voicemail.

For full instructions on the Charlotte County Jail Inmate Phone System, what the costs are, how it works, and tips and guidelines on rules, regulations and saving money on calls, check out our Inmate Phones Page.

How to Send and Receive Secure Text and Email Messages with an Inmate in Charlotte County Jail

To communicate by text or email with an Charlotte County inmate, follow these instructions:

To send or receive a message you MUST first open a SmartJailMail.com account.
Once you open an account, you may search for Charlotte County inmates or detainees to connect with.
When you locate the Charlotte County inmate that you want to connect with, you can send them a connection request.
Charlotte County Jail will then need to approve the request before you can send messages.

For all the information you need to send and receive secure messages in the form of text or email with a Charlotte County Jail inmate, including how it works, how much it costs, renting your inmate a tablet, how often you can communicate and more, check out our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
NOTE: Your messages will be monitored and stored. You may want to refrain from discussing your inmate's court case.

How to Deposit Money into an Inmate's Account in Charlotte County Jail

To deposit money into the account of an inmate in Charlotte County, follow these instructions:

Create an account with Touchpay Services, a GTL company.
Select Florida.
Select Charlotte County Jail
Enter the Inmate ID of your inmate. This can be found by calling 941-833-6300 or by looking up the inmate's name in the Inmate Search link.
Enter your billing information and send money.
You can also deposit cash using the kiosk at the Charlotte County Jail. To do this you need the Inmate's ID Number and the Facility Locator Number for Charlotte County.

For all the information you need regarding making an inmate deposit, what it costs, how much you can send, how long it takes for your inmate to receive funds and more, and to get the Facility Locator Number, check out our Send Money Page.

How to Send a Carepack Commissary Package Directly to an Inmate in Charlotte County

To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Charlotte County Jail follow these steps:

Register here to create an account with icaregifts for Charlotte County.
Choose Florida, then Charlotte County Jail, and then the products you want shipped to them, and input your payment method.
NOTE: There may be a limit on how much product you can send your inmate in Charlotte County at any one time.
There are a total of fourteen (14) pre-determined icaregift packs available to choose from.
The gift packs for inmates in Charlotte County range in price from $10.49 for ten pre-stamped envelopes, 2 pens and a pad of writing paper, to $104.99 for a box of 85 snack and food items.

For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Charlotte County Jail, as well as sending money to the inmate so that they can purchase their own items, check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Charlotte County.