This post covers what a bond returnable court date is in South Carolina and whether a plea is entered at a first court date. It explains what happens at each appearance after release on bond, and what a visit to the courthouse is and is not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Bond Returnable Court Date in South Carolina?
A bond returnable court date in South Carolina is basically something that the people that run the court system just try to create some kind of semblance of a court system.
When you’re released on bond, you’re given a first court date just to get the case started, but that’s it. They give you this thing called an initial appearance, and the second one is the bond returnable date. The bond returnable date is just your second time you’re supposed to go to the courthouse.
They’re supposed to try to work out a plea deal with you. They’re supposed to give you the evidence ahead of time, but it’s not even court. It’s just at the courthouse. There’s no judge sitting up there on the bench. There’s no court reporter. You’re not going in there to answer the charge and enter a plea.
You’re just going to the courthouse with 150 other people milling around from one room to the other, so that your lawyer can talk to the prosecutor and see if they’re going to work out a deal or not. If no deal is worked out, which it usually isn’t, then you’re excused.
That’s a bond returnable date, when you’re supposed to return for the second time as a condition of your bond to go to the courthouse, which is where court is not in session.
Do You Enter a Plea at Your First Court Date in South Carolina?
No. Because your first appearance, everybody thinks it’s court, but it’s not really court. You’re not going in front of a judge. You’re not being arraigned. You’re not going to enter a plea. You’re just going to go to the courthouse with a bunch of other people who have also been arrested. That’s their initial appearance. And nothing’s really going to happen.
It’s almost hard to explain until you go to one of these things. It’s just a bunch of people there that people expect to go in front of a judge. People are expecting to be asked to enter a plea. People are expecting for the case to get calendared and that sort of thing. But that’s not what’s happening.
It’s just basically to see if somebody was released on bond, if they’ll actually show up in court because that means they’re not a flight risk and they don’t have to worry about that. But it’s mainly just to make sure that they have a lawyer. Either they’ve retained a lawyer to represent them or they’re told to go to the public defender’s office and sign up for a public defender and that’s it.
Greg McCollum has 30 years of experience and is a former prosecutor. For anyone facing a criminal charge in South Carolina, that background can matter when working through these early court dates.
If you have questions about bond returnable court dates and first court appearances in South Carolina, call the Greg McCollum Complete Legal Defense Team at (843) 626-5480. Consultations are confidential.