Bail bonds
If you are detained for a serious criminal offense, you need to stay in prison while awaiting the bail hearing. At the bail hearing, the court will decide the bail amount that will get you released from prison. If you or a friend has the money, then there's no problem. But if you don't have any available funds, you are forced to remain behind bars while waiting for your trial -- a scary prospect to contemplate. Fortunately, there is a way out of your predicament: You or a friend can get assistance from a bail bondsman who can put up your bail to the court, to allow you temporary freedom.
But how do you get in touch with a bail bondsman ? That's where our site can assist you: We can help you locate a reputable and dependable bail bond agent in Sarasota County who can put up the necessary bail to make it possible for you to get released from jail.
Why does a judge impose bail ?
The law allows the services of a commercial bonding company to post a bail bond, also referred to as surety bond, to help a defendant get temporary freedom while waiting for their court hearing.
The legal system allows two types of bail -- a criminal bail bond and a civil bail bond.
To make it clear, a court does not require a criminal bail bond to punish you for your supposed criminal offense. You are still innocent till proven guilty. Nevertheless, the judge needs an assurance that you will appear at trial to face your accuser; thus, the need to post bail. If you attend all your scheduled criminal proceedings as required, and you are eventually acquitted, the bail will be given back to you. In case you are condemned, the bail amount will be used to cover the penalties and fines that the judge might enforce on you. When you skip the court appearances, the bail will be forfeited and you will be subject to getting arrested.
The same reasoning holds with civil bail bonds. The bail imposed on civil cases serves as an assurance or a surety that the suspect will have the ability to pay the fines and penalties that the judge can require from the offender after the trial.
Why should I care about bail?
Except if you are planning to stay in prison, you have to make bail. Unfortunately, not a lot people can come up with the money, and that is why a bondsman is vital to anyone that wishes to await their trial outside of jail.
The amount of bail {will vary|depends on a lot of different aspects. For instance, two persons that committed the exact same crime can have very different bail amounts. This occurs because the court will look into your financial circumstances, previous arrests, your family ties to the community, and whether or not you are likely to run.
In nearly all states, the rate charged by the bonding company is typically 10-20% of the overall bail amount, and you will not get this back.
Furthermore, the bonding company can help you with the complex judicial procedures. It's more convenient to hire their services then to deal with the legal system by yourself.
Here's how the bail bonds process works
In case you are arrested and charged with an alleged crime, the very first thing that you should do is to get in touch with a good attorney and someone, perhaps the lawyer himself, that can hook you up with a bondsman to start the bail bonds procedure. You or your representative can deal with the bondsman who is going to ask you basic questions such as the accused's name, date of birth, and the place or city where the arrest was made. The bail bondsman will then offer you a deal for posting your bail bond. When you agree with the deal, the bondsman will take care of all the procedures to get you out of jail. With the help of the bondsman, you can walk out of prison and enjoy the company of your friends and family once again.
What information do I need when getting in touch with a bonding company?
When calling a bail bondsman, ensure you know:
- The full name of the offender
- The name of the jail the defendant is jailed in
- The booking number
- The charges
- Any other relevant info you can think of
Will the bail bondsman require collateral ?
If a bonding company will ask for collateral for will vary between cases, but it is common in the business. Regarding the sort of collateral that is accepted, the list is simply way too long to mention everything. But if a bail bondsman thinks that an item has value, it can be used as collateral. Below are just a couple of examples:
- Real estate or property
- Cars, boats, yachts
- Jewelry or gemstones
- Shares, stocks or equities
- Bank accounts
- TV, appliances or other electronics
- Antiques or art
- Farm equipment
And when available, you can also take advantage of payment options offered by a bonding company.
If you or your loved ones are in danger of remaining in jail for a long time simply because you can not raise the amount of money, a bail bondsman is the only alternative that is left. On our site you can search for a bonding company in Sarasota County. A lot of them are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
