When a person is arrested, he or she may have the opportunity to be released while awaiting trial or further legal proceedings. In many cases, the person must pay a fee in order to be released. This is known as “bail” or a “bond.”
If you’ve never been arrested and don’t know someone who has, you may not be clear about how this process works. Here’s what you need to know about bail bonds:
What Are They?
Many people cannot pay the fee set by the court. This is especially true in more serious criminal cases, where the surety can be set in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. In such cases, people can buy bail bonds instead. They pay a percentage of the surety – usually 10 percent – in exchange for an agent taking on responsibility for the accused appearing in court. (The amount agents can collect is set by each state). If the accused does not show up for legal proceedings, the agent will lose the full bond amount.
What Happens After Making Payment?
Because bail bonds agents take on responsibility for the accused after making the guarantee to the courts, these agents monitor the person to ensure they show up for all court dates and other legal proceedings. If the person doesn’t show up, the agent is on the hook for the money. Therefore, the agency does everything in its power to ensure that the person shows up for all required proceedings.
Laws regulate how these guarantors can behave. An agent cannot break the law in order to ensure that someone shows up for a court hearing or other proceeding, such as by using threats or harassment.
How Do You Find a Provider?
There are likely to be many agencies providing bail bonds in the municipality where you live. If you are arrested or are helping someone who has been arrested, you can easily find many options just by going online or even asking around the courthouse. However, it is best to conduct some research of your own before making a deal with any agents. Reputable providers should be trained and licensed by the state. If you work with someone who doesn’t have these credentials, you are risking the possibility of giving money to a criminal.
When you or someone you love is facing criminal charges, all energy should go toward getting the best defense possible and ultimately the best outcome for the case. Coming up with bail money should be the least of your worries. Working with a reputable and qualified bail bonds agent can help you to provide the guarantee the court needs without draining your personal finances or adding another layer of stress to managing the case. Do your research to find the best provider to work with on the case.