Schoharie County Correctional Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

The decision falls to a judge at arraignment, the hearing where the charge is read out for the first time. The state court system says arraignment usually follows arrest within roughly a day.

A lot of people are never booked into a cell at all. On most charges short of a serious felony, officers are supposed to write an appearance ticket instead and send the person on their way (CPL 150.20). The ticket names a day to come to court. Open warrants, family violence and certain driving charges are among the exceptions.

No city courts exist in this county. Arraignments land in front of whichever town justice serves the place of arrest, or the shared Town and Village of Schoharie court. Felony cases open in those small courts as well. If a grand jury indicts, the file moves up the hill to County Court, 290 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, 518-453-6984.

The judge's release ruling is called a securing order. It must come with reasons, spoken in court or put in writing (CPL 500.10, 510.10).

Two terms first. A felony is the serious kind of crime, where state prison is possible. A misdemeanor is milder, and the longest jail stay it can bring is 364 days, served in a county lockup. Now the four outcomes (CPL 510.10):

• Own recognizance, or ROR. A signed promise to return. Nobody pays anything.
• Non-monetary conditions. Freedom with strings, like check-ins, staying in the area or no contact with a certain person. The cost of these can't be passed to the accused (CPL 500.10(3-a)).
• Bail. Cash or a bond pledged as insurance that the person returns; a no-show means it is kept.
• Remand. Held in jail, with no amount to pay.

For most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, the law leaves only ROR or conditions (CPL 510.10(3), 530.20(1)(a)). Money bail and remand open up just for "qualifying offenses." Those are listed in CPL 510.10(4) and 530.20. Some examples are sex felonies, class A felonies, violent felonies and a broken family protection order. A new crime while out on another case can count too. Ankle monitors are saved for cases where nothing milder would work, and an order expires after 60 days unless renewed (CPL 510.40(4)).

Nobody in New York publishes a price list for bail. Each amount is chosen person by person. The judge looks at things like past convictions, earlier no-shows and how much the family could raise without serious hardship (CPL 510.10(1)).

Cash bail is rarer than most people expect. State figures for arraignments in town and village courts during 2024 looked like this:

• 75% walked out on a signed promise
• 5% walked out under conditions
• 13% had bail set
• 7% were remanded

Any time bail is set, three or more forms must be offered. The judge's menu must also include a low-deposit or no-deposit bond (CPL 520.10). Partially secured means a deposit capped at 10 percent. Unsecured means zero down, with a promise to pay it all if the person vanishes. Take $5,000 bail as an example: it could be met with $5,000 cash, or with a bond needing $500 or less up front.

The jail at 518-295-2264, or the court that set the figure, can tell you the real number.

Staff accept bail in person at the Harvey E. Stoddard Public Safety Facility, 157 Steadman Way, Howes Cave, NY 12092. The jail's web page also sends payers to AllPaid, the service formerly known as GovPayNow, for bail online or over the phone.

1. Dial 518-295-2264. Say who you're calling about, with full legal name and birthday. Ask the amount, the allowed forms and when the window is open.
2. Paying from home? Use AllPaid's bail portal or phone 877-392-2455 (877-EZBAIL5). Type pay location code 1861. Expect a service charge. Out-of-state payers are welcome.
3. Paying in Howes Cave? Carry a photo ID plus the payment type staff approved.
4. Hang on to every receipt. When proof of bail reaches the jail, the law requires release without delay (CPL 520.15).

Every new arrival gets one free phone call at intake, partly so family can start lining up bail.

Under CPL 520.15, cash bail may go to one of three places: the county treasurer, the sheriff keeping the person in custody, or the court whose judge set the amount. Locally that works out to:

• The jail: 157 Steadman Way, Howes Cave, NY 12092, 518-295-2264, plus AllPaid on the web or by phone.
• Supreme and County Court clerk: 290 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, 518-453-6998. Phone ahead and ask if the clerk can take it for your case.
• County Treasurer: 284 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, 518-295-8386. Check by phone that a bail deposit can be made there.
• The town or village court that set bail: phone that justice court for its hours and what it accepts.

The Cobleskill and Schoharie village police departments make arrests, but bail questions go to the jail.

State law recognizes nine forms of bail, and the judge lists at least three for each case (CPL 520.10). The ones families meet most:

• Cash, which any adult can put up for the person
• A credit or debit card
• An insurance company bond bought through a licensed bail agent
• A partially secured bond (you deposit one tenth or less)
• An unsecured bond, with no money down
• A secured bond, backed by property of high enough value

Card payments here run through AllPaid on the web or at 877-392-2455, for a fee. Before heading to the jail window, call 518-295-2264 to learn which types it takes and whose name belongs on a money order's pay-to line. Never put cash in an envelope. Commissary deposits are a separate thing: they buy snacks and calls, and they never count as bail.

Bondsmen act for insurers. The fee you hand over is the premium on an insurance company bond. Each agent must be licensed by DFS, the state Department of Financial Services. Run the agent's name through the DFS license lookup before signing anything.

Insurance Law § 6804 caps the premium:

• 10% on the first $3,000
• 8% on the slice between $3,000 and $10,000
• 6% on whatever is above $10,000

Do the math and a $10,000 bond can't cost more than $860, while a $20,000 bond tops out at $1,460. Very small bonds, under $200, may carry a $10 minimum.

More DFS protections: the premium is the whole bill, apart from a handful of listed expenses; reasonable collateral, around 10 percent; signed receipts each time money changes hands; and collateral back within 45 days once the bond is cleared. Should the person remain jailed, or get out without money bail, ask for your premium back; DFS gives you 14 days. File complaints on the DFS complaint page. A nonprofit bail fund is another possible source of cash bail.

Each bail payment unlocks one case and nothing more. Release can still stall when:

• a warrant from some other court is waiting
• a probation or parole officer has lodged a violation
• the person already owes time on another sentence
• a different county or state has asked for them
• ICE has sent a detainer

Ask the jail at 518-295-2264 to check for holds before money changes hands. A probation hold from this county runs through the Probation Department in the same Public Safety Facility, 157 Steadman Way, Howes Cave, NY 12092, 518-295-2274, open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Yes, but only on a qualifying felony (CPL 510.10(4)). That is the one setting where remand, meaning no bail at all, is allowed. Some cases are too big for a town or village justice to decide release at all. A class A felony is one. A person with two earlier felony convictions is another. A County Court judge rules on those (CPL 530.20(2)). On any felony, a local justice must let the prosecutor weigh in before releasing someone.

Two clocks protect a person held without bail:

• The felony complaint clock: after 120 hours behind bars (144 when that period has a weekend day or a legal holiday), the person goes free unless a preliminary hearing began or the grand jury voted. A few exceptions exist (CPL 180.80).
• Prosecutors get 90 days in custody cases to declare themselves ready for a felony trial; miss it, and release must follow (CPL 30.30(2)).

The District Attorney's staff can be reached at the Harvey E. Stoddard Public Safety Facility, 157 Steadman Way, Howes Cave, NY 12092, 518-295-2272, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Only the defense attorney can ask, but families supply the ammunition. There are two paths:

1. A request to the same judge at a later appearance, best when facts have changed.
2. While a case still sits in a town or village court, one review by a County Court or Supreme Court judge (CPL 530.30). Just one is allowed, so timing matters.

Pull together pay stubs, a lease or mortgage letter, school records, medical needs and an honest figure of what you can pay. The judge has to think about hardship when setting money bail. If no lawyer is assigned yet, phone the Assigned Counsel Program at 518-295-8740.

Free defense here comes from the Assigned Counsel Program, which the Office of Legal Defense of Indigents runs. It appoints private attorneys and the county pays them. Find the office at 284 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, 518-295-8740, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, or email indigent.defense@co.schoharie.ny.us.

The criminal application form sits on the Legal Defense of Indigents page. Return it by mail, by email or at the front desk.

Helpful state rules:

• Eligible people are owed a lawyer at arraignment (Executive Law § 832(4)).
• Anyone sitting in jail starts out presumed eligible, as does a household whose income sits below 250 percent of federal poverty guidelines.
• Your spouse's paycheck isn't counted.
• Counsel can step in on a temporary basis while eligibility is reviewed.

• County Court and Supreme Court: 290 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157. County Court 518-453-6984; shared clerk line 518-453-6998. Indicted felonies are tried here.
• Family Court: 300 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, 518-453-6982. Most youth cases end up in this court.

Town and village justice courts take arraignments, misdemeanors and smaller offenses:

• Blenheim: PO Box 161, North Blenheim, NY 12131, 518-827-6257
• Broome: 920 State Route 145, Middleburgh, NY 12122, 518-827-8777
• Carlisle: 541 Crommie Road, Carlisle, NY 12031, 518-234-7080
• Cobleskill: justice 518-234-7886; town offices 378 Mineral Springs Road, Cobleskill, NY 12043
• Conesville: Town Hall, 1306 State Route 990V, Gilboa, NY 12076, 607-588-7211, extension 5
• Esperance: 104 Charleston Street, Esperance, NY 12066, justice 518-868-5165
• Fulton: 1168 Bear Ladder Road, West Fulton, NY 12194, 518-827-6391
• Gilboa: State Route 990V, PO Box 105, Gilboa, NY 12076, 607-588-7604
• Jefferson: 607-652-2109; town at 677 North Harpersfield Road, Jefferson, NY 12093
• Middleburgh: Town Hall, 139 Cotton Hill Road, Middleburgh, NY 12122, 518-827-5100, extension 2
• Richmondville: justice 518-294-8851; town at 104 Municipal Lane, Richmondville, NY 12149
• Town and Village of Schoharie (one shared court): 300 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, justice line 518-295-6575
• Seward: justice 518-234-2292; town at 795 Lowe Road, Cobleskill, NY 12043
• Sharon: 106 Park Street, Sharon Springs, NY 13459, 518-284-3419
• Summit: Town Hall, 1580 Charlotte Valley Road, Summit, NY 12175, justice 518-287-1194
• Wright: justice 518-872-1784; town at 105A School Street, Schoharie, NY 12157

Federal cases go to the James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse, 445 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207, 518-257-1789.

Cash bail remains the payer's money the whole time, unless a judge orders it forfeited (CPL 520.15). How the case ends sets the size of the check:

• Every charge dismissed, or acquitted at trial: the full sum comes back.
• A conviction of any kind, plea deals included: the county pockets a 3 percent fee (General Municipal Law § 99-m).

The judge signs a refund order at the end, but another office writes the check. To chase it, ring the clerk for the court that closed the case, or try the County Treasurer, 284 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, 518-295-8386. For bail paid at the jail or through AllPaid, staff at 518-295-2264 can point you to the office holding the money.

Skipping court without a real excuse costs the bail (CPL 540.10). A person who returns and explains before the case's final adjournment may get the judge to undo that. For forfeited cash, the county must first send the depositor a written warning before spending it. After any forfeiture, a remission request is due within twelve months (CPL 540.30).

Any balance in the jail account is handed over as a check on release day, or mailed afterward.

For clothes and other items that stay behind:

1. The person in custody lists one adult on a Property/Clothing Accountability Invoice.
2. That adult shows a valid photo ID at the jail.
3. Pickup has to happen within 10 days after release.
4. The Medical Unit keeps personal medicine for 7 days, and medicine the jail prescribed for 48 hours.

Phone 518-295-2264 before the drive to 157 Steadman Way, Howes Cave, NY 12092, so staff can pull the bag. For deposits while the person is still inside, try our inmate money page.

A federal arrest here sends the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, Albany Division. That court meets in Albany's James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse, 445 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207, 518-257-1789. State bail law plays no part there.

The Bail Reform Act, 18 U.S.C. 3142, guides the federal judge. Choices range from release on a promise or an unsecured bond, to release on conditions, a brief hold, or detention until trial. The judge holds the detention hearing right when the person first appears. Postponements are brief, capped at five days for a defense request and three for the government, weekends and holidays not counted.

• U.S. Marshals hold federal prisoners: 445 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207 (second floor), 518-472-5401.
• Pretrial Services watches those released: 445 Broadway, Room 347, Albany, NY 12207, 518-257-1700.
• Federal Public Defender: 54 State Street, Suite 310, Albany, NY 12207, 518-436-1850.

Once a sentence is handed down, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows where the person went.

Yes, since the bail covers only the state charge. An immigration hold unfolds in four steps:

1. ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) lodges a detainer request, Form I-247A.
2. On that form, ICE requests that the person be kept up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, so agents can come (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. If custody passes to ICE, its officers collect the person. ICE may then transfer them, sometimes far from home, to a site like its Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500.
4. Track the person with the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

State law limits local help. In People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco (2018), an appeals court said New York law does not let local deputies make arrests for civil immigration matters, so holding someone on a detainer alone broke state law. The Attorney General's advice: obey a detainer only when it arrives along with a judge's warrant. Executive Law § 170-k became law on May 27, 2026, and it bars any 287(g) agreement with ICE; old ones died on August 25, 2026. Civil Rights Law § 28 also protects people heading to court, inside it or leaving it from civil arrest, unless the arrest is backed by a judge's warrant or a court order.

The jail at 518-295-2264 can say if a detainer has been lodged.

Misdemeanor sentences, capped at 364 days, are done close to home. Felony prison terms go to state prisons run by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

Once the county marks a sentenced person "state ready," pickup by DOCCS must happen within ten business days. Stop one is a reception center, with medical exams, testing and a security rating. After that comes a transfer to a matching prison.

Search the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup using a DIN, or a surname together with the year of birth. Anyone offline can call DOCCS at 518-457-5000 on business days; the agency's central office is at 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12226. Our guide to New York state prisons lists them all.

A person doing county time may apply for Local Conditional Release once 60 days are served. Approval brings a year of Parole supervision.

No. The Howes Cave jail is for adults. Raise the Age reached 16-year-olds on October 1, 2018. Seventeen-year-olds were added on October 1, 2019.

• Teens aged 16 or 17 who face felony charges, known as adolescent offenders, appear first in the Youth Part. Unless the DA proves "extraordinary circumstances" within 30 days, a nonviolent case is sent over to Family Court (CPL 722.23).
• A teen's misdemeanor is steered to Probation's intake staff, not an adult courtroom.
• Ages 12 through 17 can be handled as juvenile delinquency cases in Family Court.

When officers take a child into custody, they must alert a parent at once (Family Court Act § 305.2). If a child is not sent home, Family Court must see them within three days, or sooner when court is in session earlier (Family Court Act § 307.3). Youths who are held go to a secure juvenile detention center.

The Probation Department runs juvenile intake and may steer a teen with a Juvenile Delinquency Appearance Ticket into diversion. To find where a young person is held, call Probation at 518-295-2274. Family Court sits at 300 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157, 518-453-6982.