Riverhead Correctional Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

A judge makes the call at the first court date, called an arraignment. New York's court help pages say the gap between arrest and arraignment is usually about 24 hours.

Where it happens depends on the town where the arrest took place:

• Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip and Smithtown. New arrests go to the First District Court, Criminal Term, at the Cohalan Court Complex, 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-208-5775. Arraignments run every day of the year in Courtroom D-11 on the ground floor.
• East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold. These five East End towns use their own town justice courts. A village with its own court may also arraign.

Many people never wait for a judge at all. For most lower charges, police must hand out a desk appearance ticket, a paper that sets a court date, and let the person leave the station (CPL 150.20). A lawyer stands beside the person at arraignment, and one is assigned free if they can't pay (CPL 510.10(2)).

The judge must issue a "securing order," which is the court's ruling on whether the person goes home and under what terms (CPL 500.10). There are four kinds:

• Own recognizance (ROR). The person goes home on a promise to come back. No money is paid.
• Non-monetary conditions. The person leaves but must obey rules like regular check-ins, staying in the area or avoiding a certain person. None of that cost may be charged to them. An ankle monitor is allowed only in some cases and only for up to 60 days at a time unless renewed (CPL 510.40(4)).
• Bail. Money or a bond, given back once every court date is kept. A qualifying offense is the one situation where it can be ordered.
• Remand. Jail with no bail. A judge may order it only when the charge is a qualifying felony.

When bail is set, the judge has to list at least three ways to pay it. One must be an unsecured or partially secured bond (CPL 520.10). An unsecured bond is a signed promise to owe the money if the person skips court, with nothing paid up front. A partially secured bond needs a deposit of no more than 10 percent (CPL 500.10(18)).

New York has no price list for charges. Each judge picks an amount after looking at the person's money, record and court history (CPL 510.10(1)). Here is how charges usually sort out:

• Violations and most misdemeanors (petit larceny, trespass, a first DWI): release is required, so no bail.
• Nonviolent felonies (most drug sales, most burglary in the third degree): release is the rule unless an exception fits.
• Violent felonies (robbery, second-degree assault, gun crimes): bail or remand is allowed.
• Family offenses (breaking an order of protection, strangling a family member): bail is allowed.
• New felony while out on a similar case, or while on probation: bail is allowed.
• Bail jumping or escape: bail is allowed.
• Any charge where a death is alleged: bail or remand is allowed.

State numbers show how rare money bail now is. In 2024, District Courts outside New York City released 57% of people on their own promise and 16% with conditions. Bail was set for 20%, and 7% were held without bail. For the amount in one case, call the District Court at 631-208-5775 or the town court that heard the arraignment.

Bail is taken at both jails, but the hours differ:

• Riverhead Correctional Facility, 100 Center Drive South, Riverhead, NY 11901: open for bail 24 hours a day, every day. Every bond must be posted here.
• Yaphank Correctional Facility, 200 Glover Drive, Yaphank, NY 11980: bail from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week. Later at night, go to the other jail.

1. Call Central Records at 631-852-2241. Staff answer around the clock.
2. Have the exact spelling and birthday ready. Without the birthday, staff can't take the payment.
3. Ask the exact amount and which forms the judge allowed.
4. Bring payment that fits the rules below, plus a photo ID.
5. Plan to wait. The Sheriff's Office says the process will likely take several hours.

State law lets cash bail be paid to the county treasurer, the court that set it, or the sheriff holding the person (CPL 520.15). The jails are the steady choice. Call before going anywhere else:

• District Court Cashier's Office, Cohalan Court Complex, 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-852-3000. Ask whether it can take bail that day and what it accepts. Public windows are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• County Court Chief Clerk, Criminal Courts Building, 210 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901, 631-852-2120. Open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• East End town courts. Call the town court that set bail. The numbers are in the courthouse answer on this page.

The county also recognizes "police bail," posted with a police agency before the first court date. If you're told police bail is possible, call the arresting station and ask where, how and in what form.

The jails take four kinds of payment:

• Cash.
• Bank check or cashier's check. These work only during normal banking hours, because staff must check them with the bank branch. Make them payable to "Sheriff of Suffolk County, N.Y."
• Credit card. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover work through an outside card company. The cardholder must come in person with a photo ID. A 7% charge is added, and the total with that charge can't go over $10,000. A service fee is also added and is never refunded.
• Bonds. These are accepted only at the Riverhead jail.

Personal checks and money orders aren't on the accepted list, so leave them at home. Never send cash by mail. For anything unusual, call Central Records at 631-852-2241 before you drive out.

A bail agent, often called a bondsman, posts a bond for a fee called a premium. Agents need a state license, which the Department of Financial Services (DFS) issues.

• Price caps. The premium can be no more than 10% of the first $3,000, 8% of the part from $3,000 to $10,000, and 6% of anything above that (Insurance Law § 6804).
• Refunds. The premium usually stays with the agent. It must be returned in full within 14 days if the person isn't released or goes home without money bail.
• No extra fees. Outside the premium, agents may charge only a few listed costs.
• Collateral. Anything held as security should be reasonable, such as 10% of the bond. It must come back within 45 days of the case paperwork clearing the bond.
• Receipts. You have a right to signed, detailed receipts.

Before signing anything, confirm the agent's license on the DFS bail agent search. Complaints go to the DFS complaint page.

Bail covers only the one case it was set on. These can keep a person inside:

• A second case. If there is a town court case and a District Court case, both must be settled before release.
• A warrant. An old warrant from any court in the state may still be open.
• Probation or parole. An officer can ask for a hold. Suffolk Probation's main office is at 100 East Avenue, Yaphank, NY 11980, 631-852-4396.
• State-ready status. Someone already sentenced to state prison waits for the state to pick them up.
• Federal or immigration holds. ICE or the U.S. Marshals can file papers that stop the release.

Call Central Records at 631-852-2241 and have staff read off any holds before money changes hands.

Holding someone with no bail, called remand, is allowed only on a qualifying felony (CPL 510.10(4)). Town and village courts can't release anyone charged with a class A felony or who has two earlier felony convictions, so those cases wait for a higher court (CPL 530.20(2)).

The judge must look at each person one by one. The factors include the charge, past record, past missed court dates, any gun history, any broken order of protection, and whether the person can pay without real hardship (CPL 510.10(1)). The judge must give reasons out loud or in writing.

A held person still has time limits. On a felony complaint, release is required after 120 hours in custody (144 when the clock runs over a Saturday, Sunday or holiday). The exceptions include a grand jury vote to indict (CPL 180.80).

The prosecutor is the District Attorney's Office, William J. Lindsay County Complex, Building 77, Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, NY 11788, 631-852-3185.

1. Ask the same judge. The defense lawyer can ask the court that set bail to change it, with proof of a job, a home and what the family can truly pay.
2. Ask a higher judge. If a District Court or town court set bail too high, denied release or added rules that go too far, the defense may take the question to a judge of County Court or Supreme Court. The law permits just one try of this kind (CPL 530.30).
3. Ask for a token amount. A person can ask for bail in a small, nominal amount, and the court must set it if the request is voluntary (CPL 510.10(5)).

Ask the County Court Criminal Office at 631-852-1462 how review requests are filed.

The Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County defends people who can't afford a lawyer. Its main office is in the John P. Cohalan, Jr. Courthouse, 400 Carleton Avenue, 4th Floor, Central Islip, NY 11722.

• District Court cases: 631-853-5212
• Riverhead office: 631-852-1650
• Family Court cases: 631-853-4343
• Children's Law Bureau: 631-439-2450

When Legal Aid has a conflict, the court assigns a private lawyer through the Assigned Counsel Defender Plan. A person is presumed eligible if their income is under 250% of the federal poverty guidelines or if they are in jail. A spouse's income isn't counted. To hire a private lawyer instead, the county bar's referral service answers weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 631-234-5577.

The county is in New York's 10th Judicial District. It has no cities, so there are no city courts.

• County Court (felonies), Cromarty Court Complex, Criminal Courts Building, 210 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901, 631-852-2120
• First District Court, Criminal Term (western towns), 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-208-5775
• Family Court, Central Islip, 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-740-3800
• Family Court, Riverhead, 210 Center Drive, 2nd Floor, Riverhead, NY 11901, 631-852-3905
• East Hampton Town Court, 159 Pantigo Road, East Hampton, NY 11937, 631-324-4134
• Riverhead Town Court, 210 Howell Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901, 631-727-3200, extension 229
• Shelter Island Town Court, 46 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island, NY 11964, 631-749-8989
• Southampton Town Court, 32 Jackson Avenue, Hampton Bays, NY 11946, 631-702-2990
• Southold Town Court, 53095 Main Road, Southold, NY 11971, 631-765-1852
• Federal court, 100 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6000

Village courts also hear local cases. They are at:

• Amityville, 21 Ireland Place, Amityville, NY 11701, 631-691-3303
• Asharoken, 1 Asharoken Avenue, Northport, NY 11768, 631-261-8677
• Babylon, 153 West Main Street, Babylon, NY 11702, 631-669-1771
• Belle Terre, 55 Cliff Road, Belle Terre, NY 11777, 631-473-5105
• Bellport, 4 Bell Street, Bellport, NY 11713, 631-286-0327, extension 122
• Brightwaters, 40 Seneca Drive, Brightwaters, NY 11718, 631-665-1281
• Head of the Harbor, 500 North Country Road, Saint James, NY 11780, 631-584-2034
• Huntington Bay, 244 Vineyard Road, Huntington, NY 11743, 631-427-2843
• Islandia, 1100 Old Nichols Road, Islandia, NY 11749, 631-348-1133
• Lake Grove, 980 Hawkins Avenue, Lake Grove, NY 11755, 631-585-2008
• Lindenhurst, 430 South Wellwood Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY 11757, 631-957-7508
• Lloyd Harbor, 32 Middle Hollow Road, Huntington, NY 11743, 631-549-8896
• Nissequogue, 631 Moriches Road, Saint James, NY 11780, 631-862-8576
• Northport, 224 Main Street, Northport, NY 11768, 631-757-0935
• Ocean Beach, 157-164 Bay Walk, Ocean Beach, NY 11770, 631-583-0104
• Old Field, 207 Old Field Road, East Setauket, NY 11733, 631-941-9416
• Patchogue, 14 Baker Street, Patchogue, NY 11772, 631-475-2753
• Poquott, 45 Birchwood Avenue, East Setauket, NY 11733, 631-476-4043
• Port Jefferson, 121 West Broadway, Port Jefferson, NY 11777, 631-473-8287
• Quogue, 123 Jessup Avenue, Quogue, NY 11959, 631-653-9400
• Sag Harbor, 55 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, 631-725-0621
• Saltaire, Village Hall at 103 Broadway in Saltaire (mail to PO Box 5551, Bay Shore, NY 11706), 631-583-5566
• Shoreham, 80 Woodville Road, Shoreham, NY 11786, 631-849-1444
• Southampton Village, 151 Windmill Lane, Southampton, NY 11968, 631-204-2140
• The Branch, 40 Route 111, Smithtown, NY 11787, 631-265-3315, extension 1
• Westhampton Beach, 165 Mill Road, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, 631-288-3980, extension 1
• Westhampton Dunes, which sits at 165 Mill Road, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, 631-466-1632

Cash bail is held by the County Treasurer while the case is open. It stays the property of whoever posted it (CPL 520.15).

• Timing. Police bail is freed after the first court date. Bail posted at the jail or in District Court or County Court is freed when the case ends. The check is mailed about two to six weeks after the court tells the Department of Finance and Taxation.
• Fees. Up to 3% is kept from most bail, and 2% from police bail (General Municipal Law § 99-m). After a not-guilty verdict, the judge may order no fee taken.
• Who it goes to. The refund check is made out to the person who posted. That person can sign it over with a notarized Assignment of Cash Bail form. If you move, file the change of address form. A lost check can be replaced with a stop payment request, which can take up to six weeks.
• Losing it. Missing a court date without a good excuse lets the judge declare the bail forfeited (CPL 540.10). A request to get forfeited money back must be made within one year (CPL 540.30).

For refund status, call the Finance and Taxation bail line at 631-852-1504 or the court bail line at 631-853-5641. Only the person who posted, the defendant and their lawyers get answers.

Any money left in the person's jail account is paid back on a debit card when they walk out. Ask for it before leaving the release area.

For clothing, keys, phones and other items held at booking, call the jail's main line at 631-852-2200. Ask which of the two jails has the items, when pickup is allowed, and whether someone else may collect them with a signed note. Bring a photo ID. Items left behind too long may be thrown away, so act quickly. Our account money guide covers deposits and balances in more depth.

Federal crimes from this county go before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 100 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6000. The clerk's office is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• At the first court appearance, a federal judge decides on detention. Delays are short: the defense may get up to five days, prosecutors up to three (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The judge may free the person on a signed promise or under conditions, or keep them locked up.
• Pretrial Services checks on people who are released. Its office is at 200 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6400.
• Custody of federal detainees belongs to the U.S. Marshals Service. Its Brooklyn headquarters for this district sits at 225 Cadman Plaza East, Room G20S, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-473-3000. Many wait at MDC Brooklyn, 80 29th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232, 718-840-4200.
• Federal Defenders of New York has an office at 100 Federal Plaza, 7th Floor, Room 770, Central Islip, NY 11722, 631-712-6500.

After sentencing, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Paying state bail and ending an immigration hold are two separate things. The steps usually go like this:

1. Federal immigration officers (ICE) put a written hold request, known as a detainer or Form I-247A, on file at the jail.
2. With it, ICE wants Sheriff's staff to hold onto the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. If ICE takes custody, its New York City Field Office handles the case. That office is at 26 Federal Plaza, 9th Floor, Suite 9-110, New York, NY 10278, 212-436-9315. People may be moved to an ICE site such as the Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500, or out of state.
4. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator to learn where they are.

New York law shapes this step. In 2018 the Sheriff here lost a habeas case, People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco. The Appellate Division held that state law does not authorize local officers to arrest anyone for a civil immigration violation. Executive Law § 170-k, passed in 2026, ended every 287(g) agreement by August 25, 2026. Under Civil Rights Law § 28, a person on the way to court, inside it or heading home from it can't be held for civil immigration reasons unless a judge's warrant or order allows it.

A jail sentence of up to 364 days is served in a county jail. Longer felony terms move the person into the prisons of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

After sentencing, the county marks the person "state ready." From that point, state staff get ten working days to drive over and pick them up. They go first to a reception center for health checks, tests and a security rating, before a transfer to whichever prison suits their rating.

• Search the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup by name or DIN, the state ID number.
• DOCCS answers location questions on weekdays at 518-457-5000. Its central office is at 1220 Washington Avenue, Building 4, Albany, NY 12226.
• Profiles of every prison sit on our New York state prisons page.

Under Raise the Age, most cases against 16- and 17-year-olds left adult court. The change was complete by October 1, 2019.

• Officers who take a child into custody have to call a parent at once (Family Court Act § 305.2).
• Misdemeanor cases for teens go to probation intake, not adult court.
• A felony charge against a 16- or 17-year-old begins in the Youth Part. Nonviolent ones move to Family Court unless the District Attorney shows "extraordinary circumstances" within 30 days (CPL 722.23).
• A teen who must stay locked up goes to a youth detention center, kept away from the adult jails.
• A child kept in custody goes before Family Court by the next court day, and never later than 72 hours (Family Court Act § 307.3).

To find out where a teen is held, call Probation at 631-852-4396. You can also reach the Central Islip family court clerk at 631-740-3800.