Bail bonds
In its essence, a bail bond is a sort of assurance that you are going to show up at your trial at the specified date. In return, you will be allowed to remain free even though you are still undergoing trial for a criminal or civil charge. Alternatively, you will remain prison while waiting for the court to decide on a verdict. A bail bondsman can put up bail for you and get you released from prison.
Depending on the allegation, the cost of bail can be steep. Not a lot of accuseds have the ability to post the bail bond. There's a good reason why the penal system is overburdened. But there's a lawful solution to gain your temporary release even while your lawsuit is on-going. With our site you can locate a reputable bail bondsman in Taylor County.
Why does a judge impose bail ?
The law permits the services of a bondsman to post a bail bond, also referred to as surety bond, to help an accused get temporary liberty while awaiting their court appearance.
The law allows two types of bail -- a criminal bail bond as well as a civil bail bond.
To be clear, a judge does not impose a criminal bail bond to penalize you for your supposed crime. You are still innocent up until proven guilty. Nevertheless, the court needs an assurance that you will appear in court to face your accuser; therefore, the need to post bail. If you participate in all of your arranged criminal procedures as required, and you are in the end acquitted, the bail amount will be given back to you. If you are condemned, the bail will be used to take care of the fines and penalties that the judge may impose on you. If you skip the court appearances, the bail will be lost and you will be subject to arrest.
The same justification applies to civil bail bonds. The bail enforced on civil cases works as a guarantee or a surety that the offender will be able to pay the fines and penalties that the judge can require from the accused after the trial.
How useful is a bail bond?
A bondsman is your best opportunity to not spend too much time in jail when you don't have enough money available to post your bail. A bail bond company typically charges a non-refundable fee of 10% of the total bail. That is no more than fair, taking into consideration the risk the bonding company is taking in putting up the bond. In any case, the most pressing concern is to get you out of prison, and for that to happen have to find a reliable bonding company in your city.
A contract with a bondsman is also helpful because the latter will assist in your release from prison, simplifying a complex judicial procedure. You can simply call a bail agent who will provide you an agreement and request you to give the relevant info about yourself, or an individual you would like to bail out of prison. If you approve the deal, you can simply relax and wait for the bondsman to post the bail for you.
Of course you still need to show up at your hearing. But now that you're out on a bond, you can show up in court in civilian clothes. If you had remained in prison because you could not afford to put up bail, you would have appeared in court in a prison uniform-- and that's not a pretty sight to see. A bondsman allows you to make a decent appearance in court, which really matters a lot considering that first impressions count.
How does the bail bond process work?
Finding a good bail agent is very important. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous companies around who take advantage of unsuspecting families that are already desperate .
Make sure you are ready when you get in touch with a bail bondsman. Ask all your questions, and only once all your doubts are quelled should you take the subsequent steps of hiring them. The bail bondsman can then continue with posting the bail and submitting the required papers to get you or a family member released.
What details does a bondsman need?
When you get in touch with a bonding company, they will need to know:
- The full name and age of the defendant
- The prison where the suspect is locked up
- The booking reference number and the charges
What is accepted as collateral?
Almost always, the bonding company will ask for collateral with the transaction. This is reasonable taking into consideration the risks that are involved. An inmate is a flight risk, and there have been countless occasions where a bondsman needed to hire a bounty hunter to recover the fleeing offender.
But what is acceptable as collateral? Basically, when a bail bondsman considers something valuable, you can use it as a guarantee for the bail bond. Below are a number of examples:
- Realty
- Vehicles
- Shares
- Jewelry
- Electronics
- Bank accounts
- Visa or mastercard
If you can't afford the bond right now, bonding companies usually offer payment plans that you can make use of. Simply talk to the bondsman to determine which option is best suited when it comes to your circumstances.
Use this website to look for a bail bondsman that will be perfect for you. Many of them are open day and night, ready to help you or a family member to spend the as little time as possible in jail.
