Domestic Battery in Florida

As discussed previously, if you are arrested for domestic battery you will not have a bond set until you appear in front of a Judge. Therefore, if you are arrested by the officer and charged with domestic battery, you will have to appear in front of a Judge for them to determine your bond amount and any further conditions of release. That means that if you are arrested at 7:00 a.m. and your county’s first appearance is at 9:00 a.m., you might remain in jail until the next morning if you do not make the morning cut off period set by your local judiciary. Once you appear in front of a Judge and they determine your prior history and the seriousness of the offense, they will typically release you with certain conditions. These further conditions will often include no contact while the case is pending and could also require you to be placed on a supervised release program. Supervised release is a program paid for and subsidized by individual counties, and is often like being on probation before the case is even over. Typically, the Judge will order no contact with the victim and you will have to find another place to stay while the case is pending. In most jurisdictions, law enforcement will be able to escort you back to your residence to obtain any personal belongings you may need. Violating a no contact order while a case is pending, could result in a new criminal charge been filed against you by the State Attorney.