Nassau County Correctional Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

A judge settles it at arraignment, the first time the person stands in a courtroom and hears the charges. For most adults picked up anywhere in the county, that happens at the District Court building in Hempstead, 99 Main Street, Hempstead, NY 11550, 516-493-4200. Arrests inside the two cities may go to a city court instead:

• Glen Cove City Court, 13 Glen Street, Glen Cove, NY 11542, 516-403-2441
• Long Beach City Court, 1 West Chester Street, Long Beach, NY 11561, 516-442-8544

The state court system puts the usual gap between arrest and arraignment at roughly a day. Plenty of people skip that wait entirely. On lower charges, officers are often required to write a desk appearance ticket, a slip with a future court date, and send the person home from the precinct (CPL 150.20).

In court, the judge has to weigh one question: will this person show up for later dates? The answer and the reasons get stated on the record or put on paper (CPL 510.10(1)). A defense lawyer is there for it, free for anyone who can't afford one (CPL 510.10(2)).

State law hands the judge four tools (CPL 500.10):

• ROR, short for own recognizance. Home on a promise. Nobody pays anything.
• Conditions. Home, with rules. Think reporting to an officer, a stay-away order or a travel limit. An ankle monitor is a last resort, used only when no other rule would do (CPL 500.10(3-a)(j)). The person never gets billed for these.
• Bail. Money or a bond that comes back once every court date is kept. It is possible only on a qualifying offense.
• Remand. A stay in jail with no bail, open to the judge only on a qualifying felony (CPL 510.10(4)).

Bail always comes with a menu. The judge must name three or more forms the family may use, and one has to be a partially secured or an unsecured bond (CPL 520.10(2)(b)). "Partially secured" means a down payment capped at a tenth of the bail. "Unsecured" means zero dollars now, just a signed promise to pay the whole sum if court is missed (CPL 500.10(18), (19)).

Anyone placed with Pre-Trial Services signs in there as soon as court lets out. Find it downstairs in the District Court building, Room L42, 99 Main Street, Hempstead, NY 11550, 516-572-2430.

There is no price list for bail in this state. The judge chooses a figure after looking at the person's finances and whether paying would cause "undue hardship" (CPL 510.10(1)). The charge decides whether money can even come up:

• Petty theft, trespass and most other misdemeanors: the judge has to release, so bail is off the table.
• Felonies with no violence, including many theft and drug cases: release is still the starting point.
• Violent felonies like robbery, first-degree burglary or second-degree assault: money bail or remand may follow (Penal Law § 70.02).
• Class A felonies, murder among them: money bail or remand may follow.
• Domestic charges like violating a protection order or strangling a household member: money bail may follow.
• Weapon charges like third-degree gun possession: money bail may follow.
• A harmful new arrest while out on a like case, or any felony during probation: money bail may follow.
• Skipping bail or escaping: money bail may follow.

A defendant can also request a token "nominal" amount, and the judge has to agree (CPL 510.10(5)). Statewide 2024 figures for city and district courts outside New York City show 57% released on a promise, 16% released with rules, 20% given bail and 7% remanded. To hear the figure in one particular case, ring Inmate Records at 516-572-3802.

New York lets the Sheriff holding the person accept bail (CPL 520.15). Here is the order to do things in:

1. Phone Inmate Records at 516-572-3802; spell out the first and last name and give the date of birth.
2. Write down the bail figure, every form the judge allowed, and the docket number.
3. Ask what hours the window keeps. Bail money and account deposits go to A Building at 100 Carman Avenue, East Meadow, NY 11554.
4. Carry exact cash, a money order or a certified check, along with a government photo ID.
5. Complete and sign the bail paperwork, which the law requires from whoever posts (CPL 520.15(2)).
6. Hang on to the receipt. The refund depends on it.

When the deposit is shown, the law orders the release "forthwith," meaning right away (CPL 520.15(1)). A second hold can still get in the way, so ask about that before paying. Other questions go to the main desk, 516-572-4200.

Yes. Cash bail may go to the court that set it, not only to the Sheriff (CPL 520.15). Two county money offices handle it:

• County Court Cashier, for felonies that reached indictment: 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501, 516-493-3710
• District Court Accounting, for cases still in Hempstead: 99 Main Street, Hempstead, NY 11550, 516-493-4175

City court cases start with a phone call to that court. Glen Cove's sits at 13 Glen Street, Glen Cove, NY 11542, 516-403-2441. Long Beach's sits at 1 West Chester Street, Long Beach, NY 11561, 516-442-8544.

Ask three questions before leaving home. Is the window open right now? Which payments work there? How quickly does word reach the jail once the money is in?

At the jail, bail and account money can be cash, a money order or a certified check. Personal checks are turned away, and so are checks written by a law firm.

A credit card is one of the legal forms of bail in New York (CPL 520.10(1)), but only when the judge put it on the list for that case. The court that set bail can say whether a card will go through and what extra fee comes with it.

If the judge allowed an insurance company bond, a licensed bail agent can post it. The jail staff at 516-572-4200 can read you the forms on the order. Cash should never go through the mail.

Bail agents in this state must hold a license from the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS). Their fee, known as the premium, has a legal ceiling (Insurance Law § 6804):

• 10% on the first $3,000
• 8% on whatever falls between $3,000 and $10,000
• 6% on anything past $10,000

That puts the most an agent may charge at $460 for a $5,000 bond and $1,460 for a $20,000 bond. Overcharging is a crime. More protections:

• If the person stays locked up, or walks out without money bail, the full premium may be refunded within 14 days.
• Collateral, meaning property or cash held as a backup, ought to be modest, around a tenth of the bond. The agent owes it back within 45 days of getting the exoneration papers.
• Insist on a signed receipt every time money or collateral changes hands.
• Look up any agent on the DFS bail agent search and file problems through the DFS complaint form.

It happens. A bail receipt frees the person on that single case and nothing else. Watch for:

• Warrants from a different court, county or state.
• Probation or parole holds. A felony charged during probation counts as a qualifying offense on its own.
• Another open case, since each docket gets a separate release decision.
• Federal or immigration holds, which follow separate rules.
• Bracelet fitting. GPS and alcohol monitors are fitted at the Probation offices, 400 County Seat Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, 516-571-5700. They need charging every night.

Breaking the rules of release can bring tighter rules, bail, or a trip back to East Meadow. Have Inmate Records at 516-572-3802 run through every hold before you hand over money.

Only on a qualifying felony (CPL 510.10(4)). On any other charge, release is required, with or without rules attached.

• The 2023 amendment gave judges wider room to set bail on serious crimes and on people arrested again and again.
• City court judges cannot release or set bail on a class A felony, or for someone with two earlier felony convictions. Those go to a County Court judge (CPL 530.20(2)).
• A lower court weighing release on a felony must first let the prosecutor speak, and the judge reviews a criminal record report (CPL 530.20(2)).
• Held on a felony complaint? The jail must free the person after 120 hours, stretched to 144 when a weekend or holiday falls inside. The clock stops if a hearing starts or a grand jury votes an indictment, and a few other exceptions apply (CPL 180.80).

Arguing for bail or remand is the job of the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501. Its switchboard is 516-571-3800.

First, the defense lawyer can ask the same judge to take another look. While the case sits in District Court or a city court, state law also allows a single appeal to a higher-court judge in the county (CPL 530.30). That judge can cut the amount, switch the form, or let the person go. There is just one shot, so prepare well.

1. Collect papers showing work, a steady address, school, family nearby, and what the family can truly afford.
2. Hand them to the lawyer. Courts must consider whether a figure would cause undue hardship.
3. Push for a partially secured or unsecured bond, which needs little or no cash up front.

Since 1972, the county's Incarcerated Person Assistance Program has advocated for people stuck in jail only because they can't make bail. It tries to win their release on a bond or into the program's own supervision. The office is at 240 Old Country Road, 6th Floor, Suite 606, Mineola, NY 11501, 516-571-5955 (alternative number 516-571-3662). Indicted felony cases are handled through the County Court chief clerk, 516-493-3690.

Nobody faces arraignment alone. Someone who can't pay gets a lawyer at no cost (CPL 510.10(2)), and every county must keep a plan that covers that first hearing (Executive Law § 832(4); County Law § 722). Those who qualify are defended through the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, with the county footing the bill.

Under state standards, a person is presumed to qualify when:

• household income sits below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, or
• they are locked up or detained.

A spouse's paycheck is left out of the math, and child support doesn't count as the parent's money. The court should assign a lawyer on request, even before eligibility is settled. To find out who represents your loved one, call the District Court information line, 516-493-4200, with a name and birth date.

A criminal case from this county will be heard in one of these places:

• District Court (arraignments, misdemeanors, early felony stages): 99 Main Street, Hempstead, NY 11550, 516-493-4200
• County Court (indicted felonies and the Youth Part): 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501, 516-493-3710. Its West Wing is at 252 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501.
• Supreme Court: 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, 516-493-3400
• Family Court (children and teens): 101 County Seat Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, 516-493-4000. It left its old Westbury building on June 2, 2025.
• Glen Cove City Court: 13 Glen Street, Glen Cove, NY 11542, 516-403-2441
• Long Beach City Court: 1 West Chester Street, Long Beach, NY 11561, 516-442-8544
• U.S. District Court (federal charges): 100 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6000

You won't find town courts here. Instead, most of the 64 incorporated villages hold a justice court for village tickets and minor offenses, and the village office can share its court nights.

Posted cash belongs to whoever posted it, unless a judge forfeits it (CPL 520.15). It normally comes back when the case wraps up. The judge signs the refund order, though the check itself comes from another office, not from the court.

• A conviction means 3% stays behind as a fee. A dismissal or a not-guilty verdict means every dollar returns (General Municipal Law § 99-m).
• County Court cases: Bail Refunds, 516-493-3590.
• District Court cases: Accounting, 516-493-4175.
• Have the original receipt and a photo ID ready.

Skipping court with no good excuse lets the judge forfeit the bail (CPL 540.10). If the person returns and explains, the judge may cancel that. With cash bail, the county treasurer must mail a written notice. The county can keep the money only after the case's last date or 45 days past the notice, whichever comes later. Before any warrant for a missed date, the court generally gives the person or the lawyer at least 48 hours to come in voluntarily (CPL 510.50).

Money still sitting in a jail account can be withdrawn on the way out, or when the person is moved somewhere else. Things taken at booking are handed back at release too.

Picking items up for someone who is still held? Phone the jail at 516-572-4200 beforehand. Find out what has to be signed, what time to come, and which building at 100 Carman Avenue, East Meadow, NY 11554 to walk into. A photo ID is a must. Our guide to inmate accounts explains deposits and leftover balances.

Federal cases skip the state courts. Crimes from Nassau and Suffolk are filed in Central Islip, at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 100 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6000. The clerk works weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• On day one in federal court, a magistrate rules on freedom before trial: a cell, or home with rules. Delays are limited to a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• U.S. Pretrial Services prepares a background report: 200 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6400.
• The U.S. Marshals Service guards federal detainees. Its Brooklyn office: 225 Cadman Plaza East, Room G20S, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-473-3000.
• Many are housed at MDC Brooklyn, 80 29th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232, 718-840-4200. The East Meadow jail has also signed an agreement with the Marshals to keep federal prisoners.
• Federal Defenders, for those who can't pay: 100 Federal Plaza, 7th Floor, Room 770, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6500.

Once a sentence is handed down, track the person on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Posting state bail won't erase an immigration detainer on its own. The process runs like this:

1. ICE, the federal immigration agency, sends the Sheriff a paper called Form I-247A. It asks the jail to hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. ICE agents arrive to take the person.
3. The New York City Field Office handles Long Island: 26 Federal Plaza, 9th Floor, Suite 9-110, New York, NY 10278, 212-436-9315. ICE decides where people stay. The agency's own New York site is the Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500.
4. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

State law limits what local jails do with these requests:

• The 2018 appeals ruling People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco found New York gives its officers no authority to make civil immigration arrests, and it called detainer holds unlawful.
• A 2026 law, Executive Law § 170-k, passed on May 27. It bans 287(g) deals, which let local officers take on some federal immigration tasks. Deals already signed ended on August 25, 2026. On July 24, 2026, the Attorney General wrote to the 12 agencies that had one. The county's Sheriff's Office and its Police Department were both on that list.
• Civil Rights Law § 28 protects people traveling to, attending or leaving court from civil arrest without a judge's warrant or order.

Anyone sentenced to 12 months or under serves it in East Meadow, and a misdemeanor tops out at 364 days (Penal Law § 70.15). Longer felony terms go to the state's Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

• Most people remain in East Meadow after sentencing until state officers collect them. A reception center sorts them first, then sends each to a matching prison.
• Check the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup by name or by DIN, the number the state assigns.
• Our guide to New York state prisons describes each one.

No one under 18 goes into the adult jail. Under the Raise the Age law, a felony charge against someone aged 16 or 17 is first heard in County Court's Youth Part, 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501, and many are moved to Family Court later (CPL 722.23). Misdemeanors at that age skip adult court and go to probation intake. Children from 12 through 15 usually go to Family Court (Family Court Act § 301.2).

• A held child must see a Family Court judge within 72 hours, or on the next court day if that comes first (Family Court Act § 307.3).
• The county's 32-bed Juvenile Detention Center runs under the Department of Social Services. State rules send 16- and 17-year-olds on adult charges to a separate specialized secure site instead.
• Family Court: 101 County Seat Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, 516-493-4000.
• Probation's Family Division does youth intake and can say where the teen is: 516-571-9000.