Bail bonds
One of the most scary places you can find yourself in is inside a jail cell after you have been apprehended and accused of an supposed criminal offense. Things might go south even more if you or your loved ones have no immediate money on hand to post your bail , which will allow you get released from jail until your court hearing. During such a challenging situation, you first have to calm yourself, think clear, and opt for the most effective solution: Call a bail bondsman who can help a lot in getting you out of jail.
You are permitted at least one telephone call following your arrest. Use that to get in touch with a family member and request him or her to connect with a bail bondsman. Your loved one can use our website to find a trustworthy bail bond agent in Santa Clara County who can then post the bail on your behalf to secure your temporary freedom.
Use a bail bond to gain temporary freedom after getting arrested
The legal system allows a bail bondsman to put up a bail bond, also known as surety bond, to help those apprehended and charged with a criminal offense get temporarily released from jail while awaiting their court appearance.
The law allows two sorts of bail -- a criminal bail bond as well as a civil bail bond.
To make it clear, a judge does not impose a criminal bail bond to punish you for your supposed criminal offense. You are still presumed innocent till proven guilty. Nevertheless, the court needs an assurance that you will appear in court to face your accuser; thus, the requirement to post bail. If you participate in all of your arranged criminal procedures as required, and you are eventually found not guilty, the bail amount will be given back to you. In the case that you are condemned, the bail amount will be used to pay for the penalties and fines that the court may enforce on you. If you skip the court appearances, your bail will be lost and you will be subject to arrest.
On the contrary, the civil bail bonds imposed on civil cases serve as an assurance or a surety with the court where the financial obligations, interests, and fees enforced on the offender can be taken from.
How beneficial is a bail bond?
A bonding company is your best opportunity to not spend considerable time in prison if you don't have sufficient cash available to pay your bail. A bail bond company typically charges a non-refundable rate of 10% of the total bail. That is no more than fair, considering the risk the bonding company is taking in providing the money. In any case, the most important thing is to get you out of jail, and for that to happen you need to find a reliable bonding company in your local area.
An agreement with a bonding company is also valuable since they will facilitate your release from jail, simplifying a difficult legal procedure. You can simply call a bondsman who will provide you a deal and ask you to give the required information about yourself, or a person you intend to bail out of prison. In case you agree to the deal, you can just relax and wait for the bonding company to post the bail for you.
Obviously you still need to attend your trial. However, now that you're out on a bond, you can appear before a judge in civilian clothes. When you had stayed in prison because you could not afford to pay bail, you would appear in court in a jail jumpsuit -- and that does not make a good impression. A bail bondsman enables you to make a decent appearance in the courtroom, which really matters a whole lot since first impressions matter.
How does the bail bond process work?
Finding the right bonding company is important. Sadly, there are deceitful agents around that exploit unwary families who are already desperate .
So be prepared when you speak with a bondsman. Ask all questions you might have, and only once all your doubts are quelled should you take the subsequent steps of employing their services. They can then proceed with posting the bail and submitting the necessary papers to get you or a family member released.
Information your bondsman needs
When you speak with a bondsman, you will have to provide the following details:
- Your name if you are the accused
- The name and location of the prison where the defendant is held
- The booking number in the police blotter
- The complaints filed against the suspect
- Any extra important details
Will the bondsman require collateral for their service?
If a bondsman will ask for collateral for will vary between cases, but it is common in the business. Regarding the type of collateral that is acceptable, the list is just way too long to mention everything. Suffice to say that if a bondsman thinks that an item has value, it could be acceptable as collateral. Listed below are just some examples:
- Real estate or land
- Vehicles, boats, yachts
- Jewelry or gems
- Shares, stocks or equities
- Bank accounts
- TV, appliances or other devices
- Antiques or art
- Farm equipment
And when available, you could also take advantage of payment plans provided by a bonding company.
When you or your loved ones are in danger of staying in jail for a long time because you can not get the amount of money, a bondsman is the only alternative that is left. By using our website you can search for a bail bondsman in Santa Clara County. Most of them are open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
