Bond Court

Initial Bond Settings

Initial bond settings are held within 24 hours of a person’s arrest and are held at the magistrate’s court. If a person is charged with a crime that carries a potential punishment of life in prison, the magistrate is not allowed to set bond. A circuit court judge must set bond for defendants charged with crimes carrying life. At a bond hearing, a defendant is presumed to be eligible for a bond unless the judge finds that the defendant is a danger to the community or a flight risk. The bond judge is not concerned with the strength of the evidence. The judge is only concerned with information that is relevant to the danger to the community or risk of flight.

Charleston County

Bond Court Sessions are held at the direction of the Chief Administrative judge. Bond Court Dockets are maintained by the Charleston County Clerk of Court and are located here: http://www.courtplus.org/Mobile/GSDocket_New.aspx?Docket=Status%20Conference%20Req

Berkeley County

Bond Court Sessions are held at the direction of the Chief Administrative Judge and the attending trial judge. A printed docket is not published by the Court or the Clerk of Court. The Solicitor's Office will notify victims if defendants in their cases are scheduled to appear in bond court at the general sessions level.