Bail bonds
Essentially, a bail bond is a type of guarantee that you are going to attend your court hearing at the specified date. In return, you are permitted to walk free even if you are still awaiting trial for a criminal or civil charge. Alternatively, you will sit in prison while waiting on the court to rule on a verdict. A bondsman can pay bail for you and get you released from jail.
Depending upon the allegation, the amount of bail can be high. Very few accuseds are able to pay the bail bond. Certainly there's a reason why the penal system is overloaded. However, there's a lawful solution to earn your temporary release from jail even when your lawsuit is on-going. Using our site you can search for a trustworthy bail bondsman in Pennington County.
Use a bail bond to gain temporary freedom after an arrest
The judicial system permits a commercial bonding company to post a bail bond, also called surety bond, to help people arrested and charged with a criminal offense get temporary freedom while waiting for their trial.
The law allows two types of bail bond-- a criminal bail bond as well as a civil bail bond.
To be clear, a court does not impose a criminal bail bond to punish you for your alleged crime. You are still innocent till proven guilty. Nevertheless, the court needs an assurance that you will appear in court to face your accuser; hence, the requirement to post bail. If you show up at all your scheduled criminal proceedings as promised, and you are eventually acquitted, the bail amount will be repaid to you. If you are found guilty, the bail money will be used to cover the fines and penalties that the court might enforce on you. When you miss the court appearances, the bail will be forfeited and you will be subject to getting arrested.
However, the civil bail bonds enforced on civil cases work as an assurance or a surety with the court where the financial obligations, interests, and charges enforced on the offender can be paid from.
Do I need to hire a bail bondsman?
When you are able to put up bail on your own, you certainly don't need to have to hire a bail bondsman. For one, they ask a small fee for their service, not to mention the collateral you need to provide for what is definitely categorized as a loan.
In almost all states, the bonding company will collect about 10-20% of the total amount of the bail. You can't get this money back even when you are cleared of the charge. On the upside, you don't have to bother with filing the paperwork or dealing with court staff because the bail bondsman will handle all that . Secondly, you will have a better chance of getting your bail petition approved by virtue of the credibility and reputation of the bail bondsman alone. Lastly, because of their familiarity with the process, you can be released from jail in a matter of hours instead of days.
Lastly, the bail bondsman understands the importance of a good impression while appearing in court. When you are transferred to the regional or federal prison, you will be transported to court in the official prisoner's jumpsuit. On the other hand, if you are out on a bail bond, you are able to dress smartly and make a good impression on the judge and jury.
How does the bail bond process work?
Choosing a good bail bondsman is very important. Sadly, there are shady companies around who prey on unsuspicious families that are already desperate .
So be prepared when you contact a bail bondsman. Ask all questions you might have, and only after all your questions are answered should you continue with the next steps of hiring their services. The bail bondsman can then proceed with paying the bail and submitting the required papers to get you or a friend released from jail.
Preparing to meet with a bondsman?
You need to have the following info handy when talking with the bondsman:
- The offender's full name
- The prison, city, and county where the defendant is held
- The offender's booking number
- The charges the accused is facing
- The amount of money of the bail bond
Will the bail bondsman require collateral ?
If a bondsman will want collateral for providing bail differs between cases, but it is common in the business. Regarding the type of collateral that is acceptable, the list is simply too long to mention everything. Suffice to say that if a bondsman thinks that an item is valueable, it could be used as collateral. Listed below are just a couple of examples:
- House or property
- Cars, boats, yachts
- Jewelry or gemstones
- Shares, stocks or equities
- Bank accounts
- TV, appliances or other electronics
- Antiques or art collections
- Farm equipment
And if available, you can also take advantage of payment options provided by a bail bondsman.
When you or a family member run the risk of remaining in jail for a long time simply because you can not raise the amount, a bondsman is the only course of action that is left. By using our site you can search for a bonding company in Pennington County. Most of them are open day and night.
