Bail bonds
In its essence, a bail bond is a sort of guarantee that you will attend your hearing at the specified date. In return, you will be allowed to walk free even though you are still undergoing trial for a criminal or civil charge. Alternatively, you will remain jail while waiting for the court to rule on either conviction or acquittal. A bondsman can pay bail for you and get you out of prison.
Depending upon the allegation, the amount of bail could be expensive. Not many accuseds are able to post the bond. Certainly there's a good reason why the penal system is overburdened. But there's a legal manner in which to gain your temporary release even when your lawsuit is ongoing. Using our website you can search for a trusted bail bondsman in Whatcom County.
Use a bail bond to gain temporary freedom after an arrest
The judicial system allows a bail bondsman to post a bail bond, also called surety bond, to help individuals arrested and accused of a crime gain temporary freedom while awaiting their trial.
The legal system allows two types of bail -- a criminal bail bond and a civil bail bond.
To make it clear, a judge does not impose a criminal bail bond to penalize you for your supposed criminal offense. You are still innocent until proven guilty. That being said, the court needs an assurance that you will appear at trial to face your accuser; hence, the requirement to post bail. If you attend all of your scheduled criminal proceedings as required, and you are in the end found not guilty, the bail amount will be returned to you. In the case that you are found guilty, the bail money will be used to cover the fines and penalties that the judge might impose 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 imposed on civil cases work as an assurance or a surety with the court where the debts, claims, and costs enforced on the offender can be taken from.
How beneficial is a bail bond?
A bondsman is your biggest hope to not spend considerable time in jail if you don't have sufficient cash available for bail. A bondsman typically asks for a non-refundable rate of 10% of the bail amount. That is no more than reasonable, taking into account the risk the bonding company is taking in putting up the bail bond. In any case, the most important thing is to get you out of prison, and for that you need to find a reliable bonding company in your area.
A contract with a bondsman is also helpful since they will help with your release from prison, simplifying a complicated legal process. You can just contact a bail bondsman who can provide you a deal and ask you to provide the relevant info about yourself, or somebody you want to bail out. If you agree to the agreement, you can just sit tight and wait for the bail bondsman to pay the bail on your behalf.
Needless to say you still need to show up at your court hearing. However, now that you're free on a bond, you can show up in court in civilian clothes. If you had remained in jail for failure to pay bail, you would show up in court in a jail uniform-- and that's not a pretty sight to see. A bondsman makes it possible for you to make a decent appearance in court, which really matters a whole lot because first impressions matter.
How does the bail bonds process work?
To begin the bail bonds process, you first have to look for a bonding comany. You can do that in person, over the phone and even via the internet. Given the stringent adherence to professionalism, a bail bondsman will happily walk you through the bail process and settle any doubts that you may have.
Time is of the essence during this process. Once the bail agent answered all of your concerns to your satisfaction, the bail bondsman will deal with all of the procedures required to get you or your loved one released from prison.
To make certain all goes smoothly, a bondsman needs to have the defendant's name, birthdate, and the location or city of the arrest. With this info, the agent will be able to gather additional info from the prison system required to secure the release. After dealing with all the formalities, the bondsman will visit the jail to get the defendant out.
Using a bail bondsman to bail out yourself or someone you know is that easy, you can be out of jail and reunited with your loved ones in a few hours.
What your bondsman needs to know about you
After you or a family member link up with a bondsman, they will ask the following questions:
- The name of the accused
- The name and location of the prison where the defendant is held
- The booking number in the police blotter
- The complaints filed against the offender
- Any other relevant information
Collateral that a bonding company can accept
Your lack of available cash is the primary reason why you are seeking the help of a bail bondsman. The latter will offer to put up your bail in return for you putting one or some of your assets up as collateral. These possessions include:
- Bank accounts
- Real estate
- Shares
- Visa or mastercard
- Personal credit
- Expensive jewelry
- Automobiles
- Bonds
Expect the bail bondsman to present you a reasonable payment plan that you can afford. During this challenging time in your life, the bonding company can help alleviate your concerns and simplify the bail bonds procedure for you. Almost all {bondsmen can be reached|bonding companies are open 24/7. Using our website you can search for a trusted bail bondsman in Whatcom County who will assist you in securing your freedom once more.
