Bail bonds
When an individual is put behind bars and taken into custody for a major crime, they need to wait in jail up until a bail hearing. It is during this bail hearing that the judge sets the bail . If that individual can't raise the amount, they need to stay in prison up until their court hearing. But that does not always have to be the case; they can also seek the help of a bondsman.
Sadly, the majority of people wind up remaining in prison up until their court date because most do not have a large amount of money sitting around in the bank.
Our website will help you with bailing out your loved ones by connecting you to reputable and budget friendly bail bond agents in Butte County.
Why does a judge impose bail ?
The legal system allows the services of a bail bondsman to post a bail bond, also known as surety bond, to help an offender get temporary liberty while waiting for their trial.
The legal system allows two types of bail -- a criminal bail bond as well as a civil bail bond.
To make it clear, a judge does not require a criminal bail bond to penalize you for your supposed crime. You are still presumed innocent until proven guilty. Even so, the court needs to have a guarantee that you will show up at trial to face your accuser; thus, the requirement to post bail. If you attend all of your scheduled criminal proceedings as required, and you are in the end acquitted, the bail will be returned to you. In the case that you are condemned, the bail amount will be used to take care of the fines and penalties that the judge might enforce on you. If you skip the court hearings, your bail will be lost and you will be subject to getting arrested.
The same reasoning applies with the civil bail bonds. The bail enforced on civil cases serves as an assurance or a surety that the offender will be able to pay the penalties and fines that the judge might require from the defendant after the trial.
How beneficial is a bail bond?
A bail bondsman is your best opportunity to not spend too much time in prison when you don't have enough money available to post your bail. A bail bondsman typically requires a non-refundable fee of 10% of the total bail amount. That is no more than reasonable, taking into consideration the risk the bonding company is taking in putting up the bond. In any case, the most important thing is to get you released from prison, and for that to happen need to search for a dependable bail bondsman in your local area.
A contract with a bondsman is also valuable due to the fact that the latter can facilitate your release from prison, simplifying a difficult legal process. You can just reach out to a bail agent who can provide you an agreement and ask you to provide the needed information about yourself, or an individual you wish to bail out of jail. When you accept the agreement, you can just relax and wait for the bail bondsman to put up the bail for you.
Needless to say you still have to be 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 put up bail, you would appear in court in a jail jumpsuit -- and that's not a pretty sight to see. A bail bondsman enables you to make a respectable appearance before the judge, which matters a lot considering that first impressions count.
How does the bail bonds process work?
To begin the bail bonds process, you first have to get a bail agent. You can do that in person, over the phone and even via the internet. Given the stringent adherence to professionalism, a bondsman will gladly walk you through the bail process and settle any doubts that you may have.
Time is of the essence during this procedure. Once the bail bondsman answered all of your concerns to your satisfaction, the bail agent will deal with all of the formalities required to get you or your loved one released from jail.
To make certain all goes well, a bondsman needs to know the offender's name, birthdate, and the location or city of the arrest. With this information, the bail bondsman will have the ability to get additional info from the jail system required to secure the release. After handling all the formalities, the bondsman will visit the jail to get the offender released.
Using a bondsman to bail out yourself or somebody you love is that simple, you can be out of jail and reunited with your loved ones in a matter of hours.
What information does a bail bondsman need?
When you contact a bondsman, they will want to know:
- The full name and age of the suspect
- The location where the offender is locked up
- The booking reference number and the charge
What is accepted as collateral?
In most cases, the bail bondsman will ask for collateral with the transaction. This is reasonable considering the risks involved. An inmate is a possible flight risk, and are numerous examples where a bonds company had to hire a bounty hunter to bring back the fleeing offender.
But what is accepted as collateral? Essentially, when a bonding company considers something valuable, you are able to use it as a guarantee for the bond. Listed below are a couple of examples:
- Realty
- Automobiles
- Stocks
- Jewelry
- Electronics
- Bank accounts
- Visa or mastercard
If you can't afford the bond right now, bail bonds companies usually have payment options that you can use. Just talk to the bondsman to determine what option is the best one with regard to your circumstances.
You can use this site to find a bonding company that will be perfect for you. Most of them operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ready to assist you or a friend to spend the as little time as possible in jail.
