The categories that fill bookings
| Category | Typical statutes | Bail posture |
|---|---|---|
| Driving under the influence | VC §23152 | Often citation release; higher with injury or priors — DUI bail bonds |
| Larceny / theft | PC §484, §487, §490.2 | Low for petty theft; real numbers on felony grand theft — $950 rule |
| Drug offenses | HS §11350, §11377, §11351, §11352 | Possession is usually low; sales filings are not — drug crime bail bonds |
| Simple assault and battery | PC §240, §242 | Low schedule amounts — assault vs battery |
| Domestic violence | PC §243(e)(1), §273.5 | $10,000–$25,000 misdemeanor, $50,000+ felony |
| Burglary | PC §459 | Residential filings are far higher than commercial |
| Warrants and failures to appear | PC §978.5, §1320 | Bail is often the underlying case amount — warrant bail bonds |
Where to get real numbers
- California DOJ OpenJustice — arrest, crime, and clearance data by county and year.
- The Attorney General's annual Crime in California report.
- PPIC's crime trend analyses for context on multi-year direction.
- Local sheriff and police department transparency portals for city-level figures.
Treat any article — including one with a year in the headline — that cites arrest counts without linking a primary source as unreliable.
What this means if someone is booked tonight
The charge category determines the schedule amount under Penal Code §1269b, and that number is what a bond is priced against at 10%. Look up the booking in our inmate search, then use the bail cost calculator.