Finding A Bail Bonds Company
It's a situation in which nearly nobody would like to find themselves; charged with a misdemeanor or a felony crime. Luckily, for all but the most serious of crimes, bail is a common condition extended to those accused of a crime and allows for them to stay outside of jail while they await their eventual day in court.
The problem for many people can be finding the means to be able to post their own bail. It's not uncommon for people to not have enough cash on-hand to be able to simply pay the court's clerk, and meet their bail. This is where a traditional bail bonds company comes into play, and can be extremely useful to those who require their services.
How a Bail Bond Company Works
A bail bonds company (also known as a "bail bondsman") can provide the service of paying one's bail amount to the court. In fact, many bail bonds companies are open 24/7. Typically this also involves signing a contract with the bail bonds company, as well as some nominal fees and/or interest. This is how the bondsman makes their money, and how the person accused is allowed to remain free whilst awaiting trial.
It's important to note, however, that most local and state laws highly regulate the fees and charges a bail bondsman can charge (in the interest of avoiding potential usury). In addition to promising to repay the amount of the bail and any interest, the recipient of the bond also agrees to show up in court on their assigned court date.
The important thing to note with bail is any amounts paid to the court are returned in full should the accused either be found not guilty of the charges or has the charges dismissed by the state. In such a scenario, the borrower would only be responsible for any nominal fees to the bail bonds company.
Criminal court bond amounts are traditionally codified by either legislative or court procedure, and it's not uncommon for there to be set ranges for each offense. The judge presiding over the arraignment (and usually also the case itself) has a wide degree of leeway in making a decision on whether or not to offer bail, and/or setting the amount of bail. If bail is allowed by the judge and sets a specific amount, it's important to note that the accused isn't responsible for posting the full amount.
Usually, the amount that must be posted is ten percent of the court set bail. For example, if bail were set at $100,000 dollars for a particular offense by the judge, the accused would need to post $10,000 dollars to the court's clerk to "make" bail. And, as previously stated, if the accused is found not guilty or has the charges dismissed, that full $10,000 is returned to the accused. The bond itself is meant to be a form of showing the court of one's good intentions to honor their court appearance date.
For more information on bail bonds, reach out to a bail bond company near you.
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