Bail bonds
When a person is put behind bars and booked for a major crime, they should wait in jail until a bail hearing. It is at this bail hearing that the judge determines the bail . If that individual can't raise the amount, they need to stay in jail until their court hearing. But that does not always need to be the case; they can also seek the services of a bondsman.
Unfortunately, many people end up remaining in prison until their court date because many do not have a large sum of cash sitting around in the bank.
Our website will help you with bailing out your loved ones by connecting you to credible and economical bail bond representatives in Washington County.
Why does a judge impose bail ?
The legal system allows the services of a bail bondsman to post a bail bond, also called surety bond, to help a defendant gain temporary freedom while awaiting their trial.
The judicial system allows two sorts of bail -- a criminal bail bond as well as a civil bail bond.
To make it clear, a judge does not require a criminal bail bond to punish you for your alleged crime. You are still innocent up until proven guilty. Nevertheless, the court requires a guarantee that you will show up in court to face your accuser; hence, the need to post bail. If you participate in all of your arranged criminal proceedings as promised, and you are in the end found not guilty, the bail amount will be returned to you. In case you are found guilty, the bail amount will be used to pay for the penalties and fines that the judge might impose on you. If you skip the court hearings, the bail will be lost and you will be subject to arrest.
The same reasoning applies with the civil bail bonds. The bail imposed on civil cases functions as a guarantee or a surety that the offender will have the ability to pay the penalties and fines that the judge might impose on the suspect after the trial.
Why should I care about a bail bond?
Unless you want to stay in jail, you need to make bail. However, very few individuals can come up with the money, and that is why a bondsman is vital to anyone that wishes to wait for their trial outside of jail.
The amount of bail {will vary|depends on a lot of different aspects. For example, two persons who committed the same criminal offense can have very different bail amounts. This occurs because the judge will take into consideration your financial situation, prior arrests, your family ties to the area, and if you are a flight risk.
In most states, the cost of a bail bond is usually 10-20% of the total bail amount, and this is non-refundable.
Furthermore, the bail bondsman can assist you navigate the complex judicial proceedings. It's more convenient to hire a bail bondsman then to deal with the legal system by yourself.
How does the bail bonds process work
Keep in mind: If you are arrested and booked for an alleged criminal offense, immediately request for a lawyer to speak for you and protect your legal rights. Furthermore, contact a reliable person to link you up with a bail bondsman to initiate the bail procedure. As soon as this is done, the bondsman will want answers to general questions such as the accused's name, birthdate, and the location or city of the arrest. The bail bondsman will then propose to post the bail for you in return for a service fee. Immediately after the deal is made, the bondsman will move forward with the actions to secure your release from jail. In a matter of hours, following the action taken by your bail bondsman, you can walk out of prison, a free man once again.
What information should I have when calling a bondsman?
When calling a bonding company, make certain you have:
- The full name of the defendant
- The name of the jail the accused is jailed in
- The booking number
- The charges
- Any other relevant info you can think of
What is accepted as collateral?
In most cases, the bail bondsman will ask for collateral with the transaction. This is reasonable considering the risks that are involved. An offender is a possible flight risk, and there have been plenty of occasions where a bonds company needed to employ a bounty hunter to recover the fleeing defendant.
But what is acceptable as collateral? Essentially, if a bondsman considers an asset valuable, you are able to use it as collateral for the bail. Listed below are a couple of examples:
- Real estate
- Cars
- Equities
- Jewelry
- Electronic devices
- Bank accounts
- Visa or mastercard
If you have trouble paying for the bail bond, bail bonds companies usually have payment options that you can make use of. Just talk to the bondsman to figure out which option is the best one for your situation.
You can use our website to look for a bail bondsman that is perfect for you. Almost all of them operate day and night, ready to assist you or your loved one to spend the least amount of time in jail as possible.
