Charges may be brought when a person causes or permits a minor in their care to suffer unjustifiable pain or mental anguish, willfully causes or permits a minor to be injured, or willfully causes or permits a minor to be placed in a dangerous situation.
The California penal codes
Child Neglect under PC 270, also known as “failure to provide care,” occurs when a parent willfully omits clothing, food, shelter, and medical needs — often a misdemeanor punishable by a fine no greater than $2,000 and/or imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year. Related codes include PC 270.1(a) for a child’s school attendance, PC 270.5(a) for abandonment, and PC 273(d), Corporal Injury of a Child, which makes it a crime to impose physical injury or “cruel punishment” on a child. Child endangerment can also appear as an enhancement connected to another crime, such as drinking and driving with a child in the car.
What the charge means for bail
Bail is a monetary and written promise that you will appear for a future court date following your arrest. If you can post bail, the amount you pay will be returned to you, minus standard court fees, but only if you appear for your scheduled court appearance. We charge between 7 and 10 percent of the bail amount itself — no hidden fees — and we also offer payment plans.
After the arrest
Following an arrest, the arrestee is taken into a holding facility for booking. The specific charges are then confirmed, bail is established, and both court date and time are set. The time to release varies, but you can usually expect to be released from jail within seven hours of bail being posted.
Watch the rate
California Insurance Code § 1800 caps the bail premium at 10% of the face amount of the bond — that’s the legal ceiling, not the minimum. Anything above 10% is illegal. Walk away from any bondsman who quotes above the cap, demands wired money before paperwork is signed, has no California Department of Insurance license number visible, or pressures you to decide in under a minute. A real bondsman walks the family through the math.