Bail Bonds
There may be nothing more stressful and trying than knowing that you are in legal trouble and in the position where you need to seek the assistance of a bondsman. Bail bonds are not something that should be taken lightly, but they can keep you out of jail, while you get the legal situation settled.
Most of us have a basic idea that bail bonds can help people get out of jail, even if they don’t have the full amount of money that is needed to bail out of jail on their own. The idea is that the bondsman basically vouches for the accused and helps them post the money they need to get out of jail between the present time and their court dates. The percentage of the bond amount the individual must pay can vary, but generally it is 10% of the full amount set by the court. What this means is that if the bond amount is $50,000, then the individual must pay $5,000 to the bondsman.
Bail bonds are legal contracts, and the individual who is accused of a crime must obey all the stipulations of this contract. If the accused does not obey all the stipulations of the contract, the bail can be revoked and the individual can go back to jail. Bail bonds allow people to get out of jail, so they can keep working, and so they can get the help of attorneys and others to help mount an effective defense. Bail money can be difficult to obtain, especially when there are serious charges, and bail bonds allow the average person to get out of jail, at least until they are convicted of a crime by a judge or jury.
The majority of the population probably will be lucky enough never to have to worry about being able to post bail on their own, or how they would go about contacting a bondsman to help them get out of jail until trial. Unfortunately, there are a great number of people that have to consider, for one reason or another, whether they need some help posting bail. Those that are in jail and need to be out to continue making a living, to support their family, or to get in touch with defense attorneys are the ones who need to post bail. If you are not able to post bail, then it’s time to contact a bondsman and see what can be done for you.
It’s important to remember that one does not need to wait until they are in jail to start thinking about how they will be able to post bail. Many people know they are going to be arrested ahead of time, and they need to start thinking about how they are going to afford it. If you cannot afford bail, find out whom to contact to help you. Bail bonds come in handy for the vast majority of people that end up in legal trouble, because it is an affordable way to post bail.
Contacting a bondsman is not difficult, though it may be a bit scary, if this is the first time you have done so. If you know that a warrant has been issued for your arrest, this is a perfect time to start looking for bondsmen. If you don’t have this opportunity to act before you are taken into custody, it is not too late. Friends and family can contact bondsmen on your behalf, or you can contact them from jail to let them know you need their help.
When you contact a bondsman, you need to let them know where you are, how long you have been in custody, if the bail amount has been set, whom your lawyer is, and if you own any property where you are being held. All this information will help a bondsman determine if you are someone they can help out. Contacting a bondsman only requires a telephone call. If you open a phone book, you will find a long list of bondsmen to choose from in just about every area. Typically, bondsmen that are able to act quickly are preferred by most, since you’ll be getting out of jail and back home as soon as possible.
You cannot simply call a bail bondsman and tell them you want to get out of jail and you need their help. The bail agent needs to know that you have someone, who is not in legal trouble, that will ensure that you stay in the city or county limits, show up for all your court dates, and comply with the law. Basically, you need someone to sign your bail bond for you, so the court, as well as the bondsman, knows you will not be leaving town when you get out of jail. The person that signs off on your bail bond generally needs to have a valid driver’s license in the state where the crime allegedly has taken place, the individual usually must be over 25, and it’s considered a bonus if the individual owns property in the state or county.
Bail agents will need proof of all this information before they agree to bail someone out of jail. The signer will need to go to the office of the bondsman, sign some paperwork, and then the bail bond can be issued. The process really is not all that difficult, but bail agents need to know their investment is not going to be lost, should you flee when you are released from prison.
If you are in legal trouble, one of the best things you can do to make bail is to tap into attorney sources. This can be especially helpful for those that do not meet all the criteria that the bail bondsmen need. For instance, if you are new to an area and accused of a crime and you do not own property, do not have anyone to contact that owns property, and do not have a signer who is over the age of 25 with a valid driver’s license, you can run into some difficulty making bail. Attorney sources can help you with bail bonds, even if you don’t meet all the typical requirements. The attorney can vouch for you, and basically tell their sources they believe you are not a flight risk and you are worth making exceptions for.
What will happen then is that the bail bondsman can choose to bend the rules a bit and enable you to use a signer under the age of 25 or perhaps one who doesn’t have a state driver’s license in the state that you have been arrested in. Attorney sources can be a lifesaver. Not every attorney has these sources, but when they do, it can really help those that may not meet all the criteria that are typically required to qualify for bail bonds.
The cost of bail bonds can vary from bondsman to bondsman. Typically, what you will have to pay upfront is 10% of the total bail amount that the court or county has set for you. You may then need to pay administrative fees to the bondsman. Many bondsmen require that individuals pay a small fee, such as $20 each time they go to court. This is usually for administrative purposes, because every time you go to court, the bondsman has to do some work calling around to be sure that you show up for your court date. These fees are generally to be paid immediately following each court appearance, so time has to be spent traveling from court appearances to the bail bondsman to make payment.
It’s important to note that in most cases there is more than one court appearance. In even the most simple cases, individuals often have many different court dates that they go to where their attorneys will speak with the prosecution and basically share evidence, in a process known as discovery. The accused party will be required to appear each time, and generally an administrative fee will be due after each appearance, whether you went in front of the judge or not.
There are many cases where individuals know that a warrant has been issued for them before they are actually arrested. This is true in criminal cases as well as others. Many times, individuals are alerted, because they will receive advertisements from attorneys and bail bondsmen in the mail, advising them that a warrant has been issued for their arrest. This is the perfect time to start calling around to bondsmen and asking them for their help, because you are at liberty to make as many phone calls and ask as many questions as you want.
A bondsman can help you determine if you will be able to make bail before you ever turn yourself in. This means that you can go down to the police station, turn yourself in, get finger printed, have your photo taken, and go home with no time spent in an actual cell. This is a beneficial way to go about bail bonds, because there is less stress involved. You can use it to your advantage in court because you were never arrested. Most judges take into consideration whether someone turned themselves in or not, so it works out well on all fronts, if you are able to contact a bondsman ahead of time. In addition to all this, you have your choice in bail bondsmen, so you can work with someone that you are most comfortable with.
If this is your first time working with a bail bondsman, you might be wondering what exactly you can expect. Generally, you can expect efficiency, adherence to policy, and most of the time you will not get a whole lot of compassion from these people. The lack of compassion is nothing personal, but you have to consider what bondsmen do for a living. Every day, all bondsman are dealing with accused criminals, and in many cases, previously convicted criminals. While you may be innocent of all the charges brought against you, the bondsman has no way of knowing this. He or she simply treats everyone like they are a flight risk, and capable of the crimes that they are accused of.
Bondsmen will hold you to every letter of the contract that you and your co-signer signed to ensure that you could stay out of prison. You’ll receive calls if you miss court, and the bond can be revoked at any time. Bondsmen do not want to lose money because you do not show up, so they will be strict and will want you to act like an upstanding citizen every minute of the time that you are on their bond.
Bail bonds require a lot of paper work, so it is essential that you keep good records until your court case is resolved. When you make bail with the help of a bail bondsman, you will typically receive a sheet of paper that states that you are out on bail. This sheet of paper should be carried with you wherever you go, just in case you are stopped by law enforcement and they have any questions about the status of your bail or court case.
In addition to this sheet of paper, you will need to keep all your records in the same place. You will receive copies of the actual contact from the bondsman; you will also receive receipts for any payments, court paper work, and more. It’s a good idea to keep all this information in a folder together, so if there is ever any question about what you have paid, or whether or not you have appeared in court every time you were required to do so, you can provide proof. Keeping records can help you avoid unnecessary stress, duplicate payments, and even bail revocation.