Bail bonds
If you have been apprehended for a serious criminal offense, you will have to remain in jail while waiting for the bail hearing. At the bail hearing, the judge will decide the bail amount that will get you released. If you or a friend has the money, then there's no problem. However, if you don't have any funds available, you are forced to stay in prison while awaiting your trial -- a scary prospect to contemplate. The good news is, there is a way out of your predicament: You or a friend can get help from a bondsman that can put up your bail to the court, to allow you temporary freedom.
But how can you contact a bondsman ? That's where our site can help: We can help you search for a reputable and dependable bail bondsman in Chattanooga who can post the needed bail to allow you to get out of jail.
Use a bail bond to gain temporary freedom after getting arrested
The judicial system permits a bail bondsman to post a bail bond, also referred to as surety bond, to help persons arrested and accused of a crime gain temporarily released from jail while waiting for their trial.
The law allows two types of bail -- a criminal bail bond and a civil bail bond.
To be clear, a judge does not impose a criminal bail bond to penalize you for your supposed criminal offense. You are still presumed innocent up until proven guilty. That being said, the court needs a guarantee that you will appear at trial to face your accuser; therefore, the need to post bail. If you participate in all your scheduled criminal procedures as required, and you are in the end found not guilty, the bail amount will be returned to you. In case you are condemned, the bail amount will be used to cover the penalties and fines that the court might impose on you. If you skip the court appearances, the bail will be lost and you will be subject to arrest.
On the contrary, the civil bail bonds imposed on civil cases function as an assurance or a surety with the court where the debts, claims, and charges enforced on the accused can be drawn from.
How beneficial is a bail bond?
A bondsman is your best opportunity to not spend too much time in prison in case you don't have sufficient money available for bail. A bonding company usually charges a non-refundable rate of 10% of the bail. That is just fair, taking into consideration the risk the company is taking in putting up the bail bond. In any case, the most pressing concern is to get you out of jail, and for that to happen need to search for a trustworthy bondsman in your city.
A contract with a bail bondsman is also helpful since they can assist in your release from jail, simplifying a difficult judicial process. You can just reach out to a bondsman who can provide you an agreement and ask you to provide the needed info about yourself, or a person you intend to bail out of prison. In case you approve the deal, you can simply relax and wait for the bail bondsman to pay the bail in your place.
Needless to say you still need to be at your court hearing. But now that you're free on bail, you can appear in court in civilian clothes. When you had stayed in jail because you could not pay bail, you would have appeared in court in a jail uniform-- and that does not make a good impression. A bondsman allows you to make a respectable appearance before the judge, which matters a lot because first impressions matter.
Here's how the bail bonds process works
In the event that you get arrested and accused of a supposed felony, the very first thing that you need to do is to speak with a lawyer and somebody, perhaps even the lawyer himself, that can get you in touch with a bonding company to start the bail bonds process. You or your representative can deal with the bail bondsman who is going to ask you basic questions like the accused's name, date of birth, and the location or city where the arrest was made. The bail bondsman will then give you an arrangement for providing your bail bond. When you agree with the agreement, the bail bondsman will take care of all the procedures to get you released from jail. With help from the bondsman, you can get out of prison and be in the c ompany of your friends and family once more.
What information should I have when calling a bondsman?
When getting in touch with a bondsman, make sure you know:
- The full name of the offender
- The name of the prison the accused is jailed in
- The booking number
- The charges
- Any other relevant information you can think of
What is accepted as collateral?
Almost always, the bail bondsman will require collateral with the deal. This is reasonable considering the risks that are involved. A prisoner is a possible flight risk, and are plenty of examples where a bonds company had to employ the services of a bounty hunter to recover the fleeing offender.
But what is acceptable as collateral? Essentially, when a bonding company considers something valuable, you can use it as collateral for the bail bond. Listed below are a couple of examples:
- Real estate
- Cars
- Equities
- Jewelry
- Electronics
- Bank accounts
- Credit cards
If you find that the bond is too expensive, bail bonds companies usually offer payment options that you can make use of. Just talk to the bail bondsman to determine which option is best suited when it comes to your circumstances.
You can use this site to search for a bail bondsman that will be perfect for you. Many of them operate 24/7, ready to help you or a family member to spend the as little time as possible in jail.
