Bail Bonds Work
When someone is arrested and placed in jail, the judge may choose to release them on bail if they have money. This is often done so the person can attend their court hearing and be ready to face the case against them. Bail is typically refunded at the end of the case as long as the accused follows all of the courts orders.
The amount of the bail is set by the judge and the judge will also determine if it’s a risk that the accused will attempt to flee from prosecution. This is a called flight risk and is one of the reasons that not everyone can be bailed out of jail. Unless the accused can prove to the court that they will not try to flee from the case, the judge will refuse to let them out on bail.
People who are not rich can’t pay the full amount of bail, so their friends and family usually hire a bail bondsman to help get them out of jail. The bail bondsman will charge a fee, which is normally 10% or less of the total bond amount and then require that the loved ones who are paying for the bond agree to sign collateral. Collateral is anything of value such as a car, house, jewelry, or even cash. This is put up to guarantee that the bail bonds google reviews will return the full amount of the bond to the court if the accused skips bail or fails to follow all of the court’s instructions.
How Do Bail Bonds Work?
After the bail is paid to the court, the friend or loved one who is paying will have to go to the same courtroom where the case is pending and fill out some paperwork. It is good to speak to the accused person’s lawyer before this and let them know you are planning on helping to pay for their bail. This will allow them to help you with any questions you might have about the process.
At the arraignment, the judge will often accept the payment of the bail in cash or by credit card. They will then give the accused a receipt and tell them that if they show up to their court dates, then the bail money will be returned. However, if they do not show up to any of their court dates then the bail bond agency is responsible for paying the entire bail amount to the courts and they will likely hire a bounty hunter to find them and bring them back to court.
Sometimes, a criminal defense attorney can talk to the judge about letting an accused person out of jail on their own recognizance without bail. This is a great way to save thousands of dollars for the person and their loved ones. This option is only available in certain cases and is normally only used in Family Court, where children are charged with juvenile delinquency. This is because Family Court judges believe that it’s unfair to separate kids from their parents because they don’t have any money.
