{"id":7427,"date":"2020-08-31T16:14:45","date_gmt":"2020-08-31T20:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=7427"},"modified":"2020-08-31T16:15:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T20:15:05","slug":"how-do-bail-bonds-work-this-is-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/how-do-bail-bonds-work-this-is-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Bail Bonds Work? This Is What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Someone gets arrested every three seconds<\/a> in the United States. Though many of those arrested individuals get released without charges, others end up going to jail to await their hearing. When this happens to a friend, family member, or loved one, the first thing on your mind is getting them out of jail quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the court sets a bail amount, you\u2019re able to help get your loved one out of jail while they wait for their hearing. However, unless you have tons of cash on hand, posting bail can be almost impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bail bonds can help you get the money you need to secure your loved one\u2019s release. So, how do bail bonds work and what can you expect from the process? Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Does It Mean When You Get Bail?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While a defendant is waiting for their trial, they can either wait in jail or, if the court deems it appropriate, can wait at home. If the court decides that the defendant deserves the option to wait for their hearing at home, they\u2019ll set a bail amount. This is the amount you must pay the court to get your loved one out of jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They base the bail amount on the severity of the crime, the defendant\u2019s criminal record, and their overall flight risk. If the defendant is in good standing, doesn\u2019t have an extensive criminal history, and didn\u2019t commit a gravely serious crime, the bail amount will likely be small. However, if the crime is serious or they\u2019ve committed serious crimes in the past, the bail will likely be high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, you won\u2019t be able to negotiate a lower bail amount once the court sets the rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re able to post bail with cash, you\u2019re free to do so. However, if you don\u2019t have the funds upfront, you\u2019ll need to take out a bail bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do Bail Bonds Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bail bonds are essentially a type of loan that you can use to get your loved one or yourself out of jail. The bond is in the full amount of the court-appointed bail and gets paid directly to the jail where the defendant is waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t apply for the bail bond with your local bank. Instead, you must speak with a bail bonds company to discuss your options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You\u2019ll Need to Provide<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you find a bail bondsman you\u2019re comfortable working with, you\u2019ll need to give them as much information about the situation as possible. They\u2019ll ask you for the person\u2019s full name, the name of the jail they\u2019re held in, the types of charges they\u2019re facing, and the booking number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more information you can provide, the better. If you\u2019re unsure of any of the details, don\u2019t panic. The bail bondsman may be able to give you advice on where you can find the information yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they have that information, they\u2019ll be able to post bail and help your loved one get out of jail until their hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Types of Bail Bond Fees Can You Expect?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The exact fees you\u2019ll pay for the bail bond will vary from company to company. Most choose to charge you a set percentage of your loved one\u2019s bail amount for their services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fees you pay are the bail bondsman\u2019s premium amount. This is the amount they keep in exchange for posting bail for your loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to shop around and make sure you\u2019re able to pay the fees before you commit to working with the bail bondsman. Take your time and compare fees if you can. When you know more<\/a> about their fees and the types of bonds they issue, you\u2019ll be able to make the best decision for your situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will You Need Collateral?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t pay the full premium amount or your loved one poses a certain amount of flight risk, the bail bonds company can ask you to post collateral. This collateral is what backs the bail they pay to release your loved one from jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The type of collateral you\u2019ll need largely depends on what each company accepts and the severity of the charges against your loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, you\u2019re free to use any real property to meet their standards. This means you could use a car, jewelry, electronics, or even your house to secure the bail bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as the property you\u2019re posting has real value, the company will likely accept it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Your Obligations Once You Post Bail?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once the jail releases your loved one, you\u2019ll need to make sure they attend their hearings on time, every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as your loved one attends their court dates on time, the bail bondsman will get the money they paid in bail back from the jail. Once they do, they\u2019ll release you from your collateral obligations. This means you\u2019ll get your collateral back and won\u2019t have to worry about losing something you value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you\u2019ll end up paying for is the premium amount for the bail bond itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if your loved one misses their court dates, skips town, or violates any other terms of their release, you\u2019ll lose the items you posted as collateral. Depending on the bail bonds company, you may also have to pay an additional fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, you won\u2019t have to pay any fines or fees if your loved one gets sentenced to jail after attending their court hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now You Know How the Bond Process Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A bail bond is the easiest way to get your loved one out of jail quickly so they can get back to their normal life while they wait for their court date. This guide should answer the question, \u201chow do bail bonds work?\u201d in detail so you can take action quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sooner you can find a bail bondsman you trust, the sooner you\u2019ll be able to get your loved one out of jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for more helpful tips to help you navigate the legal system with less confusion? Check out our latest posts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Someone gets arrested every three seconds in the United States. Though many of those arrested individuals get released without charges, others end up going to jail to await their hearing. When this happens to a friend, family member, or loved one, the first thing on your mind is getting them out of jail quickly. If […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7427"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7429,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7427\/revisions\/7429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}