Bail bonds
In its essence, a bail bond is a sort of promise that you are going to show up at the trial at the specified date. In return, you will be allowed to remain free even if you are still undergoing trial for a civil or criminal charge. Without a bail bond, you will sit in jail while waiting on the court to rule on a verdict. A bonding company can post bail for you and get you released from prison.
Depending on the charge, the cost of bail can be high. Few defendants can pay the bond. Certainly there's a good reason why the correctional system is overburdened. But there's a legal way to earn your temporary release from jail even while your case is still in progress. With our site you can look for a trusted bonding company in Greenville.
Why does a judge impose a bail bond ?
The law permits the services of a bail bondsman to post a bail bond, also known as surety bond, to help a suspect gain temporary freedom while waiting for their court appearance.
The law allows two kinds of bail -- a criminal bail bond and a civil bail bond.
To be clear, a court does not require a criminal bail bond to penalize you for your alleged criminal offense. You are still presumed innocent up until proven guilty. Nonetheless, the court needs to have an assurance that you will appear in court to face your accuser; hence, the need to post bail. If you attend all your scheduled criminal procedures as required, and you are in the end found not guilty, the bail will be given back to you. If you are condemned, the bail money will be used to cover the penalties and fines that the court might impose on you. When you miss the court hearings, your bail will be lost and you will be subject to arrest.
The same reasoning applies to civil bail bonds. The bail enforced on civil cases works as a guarantee or a surety that the offender will have the ability to pay the fines and penalties that the court may enforce on the accused after the trial.
How beneficial is a bail bond?
A bondsman is your best opportunity to not spend considerable time in jail if you don't have sufficient cash available for bail. A bondsman usually asks for a non-refundable fee of 10% of the bail amount. That is no more than fair, looking at the risk the bondsman is taking in providing the bail bond. Anyway, the most important thing is to get you released from prison, and for that to happen need to search for a reputable bondsman in your local area.
An agreement with a bondsman is also handy given that the latter will help with your release from jail, simplifying a complex legal procedure. You can just contact a bail agent who can provide you an agreement and request you to provide the relevant information about yourself, or an individual you want to bail out. When you approve the contract, you can just relax and wait for the bail bondsman to pay the bail on your behalf.
Obviously you still have to attend your hearing. However, now that you're out on a bond, you can appear before a judge in your own clothes. If you had stayed in prison because you could not pay bail, you would show up in court in a prison jumpsuit -- and that does not make a good impression. A bondsman makes it possible for you to make a decent appearance before the judge, which really matters a lot since first impressions count.
How does the bail bonds process work?
To start the bail bonds procedure, you first need to get a bail agent. You can do that in person, over the phone and even via the internet. Given the strict adherence to professionalism, a bail bondsman will happily walk you through the bail bond process and settle any doubts that you might have.
Time is of the essence throughout this process. As soon as the bail bondsman addressed all of your concerns to your complete satisfaction, the bail bondsman will deal with all of the formalities necessary to get you or your loved one released from jail.
To ensure all goes well, a bondsman needs to know the accused's name, birthdate, and the location or area of the arrest. With this info, the agent will have the ability to get extra information from the prison system required to secure the release. After handling all the formalities, the bail bondsman will go over to the prison to get the accused released.
Using a bonding company to bail out yourself or someone you love is that straightforward, you can be out of prison and reunited with your loved ones in a few hours.
What information do I need when calling a bondsman?
When calling a bail bondsman, make certain you have:
- The full name of the accused
- The name of the jail the accused is incarcerated in
- The booking number
- The charges
- Any other relevant info you can think of
What is accepted as collateral?
Almost always, the bonding company will require collateral with the deal. This is understandable, considering the risks involved. A prisoner is a possible flight risk, and are numerous occasions where a bail bondsman needed to employ a bounty hunter to bring back the fleeing defendant.
But what is accepted as collateral? Basically, when a bail bondsman considers an asset valuable, you are able to use it as a guarantee for the bail. Below are a few examples:
- Real estate
- Autos
- Shares
- Jewelry
- Electronic devices
- Bank accounts
- Credit cards
If you can't afford the bail bond right now, bonding companies usually have payment plans that you can use. Just speak with the bondsman to figure out what option is best suited for your situation.
You can use this website to look for a bondsman that is perfect for your needs. Many of them are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ready to assist you or your loved one to spend the as little time as possible in prison.
