Bail bonds
When a person is incarcerated and booked for a serious crime, they need to wait in jail up until a bail hearing. It is at this bail hearing that the judge sets the bail . If that person can't raise the amount of money, they need to stay in prison until their court hearing. But that does not always need to be the case; they can also look for the services of a bondsman.
Unfortunately, the majority of people wind up remaining in jail until their court appearance because a lot of do not have a large amount of cash sitting around in the bank.
Our website will help you with bailing out your loved ones by connecting you to trustworthy and cost effective bail bond agents in Cumberland County.
Why does a judge impose a bail bond ?
The law permits the services of a bail bondsman to post a bail bond, also called surety bond, to help an accused get temporary liberty while waiting for their court hearing.
The law allows two kinds of bail -- a criminal bail bond and a civil bail bond.
To be clear, a court does not require a criminal bail bond to punish you for your alleged crime. You are still innocent up until proven guilty. That being said, the judge needs an assurance that you will appear at trial to face your accuser; thus, the need to post bail. If you participate in all of your scheduled criminal procedures as required, and you are eventually found not guilty, the bail amount will be returned to you. In case you are found guilty, the bail money will be used to take care of the penalties and fines that the court may impose on you. When you miss the court hearings, your bail will be forfeited and you will be subject to getting arrested.
The same reasoning applies with the civil bail bonds. The bail enforced on civil cases functions as an assurance or a surety that the suspect will be capable to pay the fines and penalties that the court can impose on the accused after the trial.
Why should I care about bail?
Except if you are planning to remain in prison, you have to make bail. However, not a lot people can afford it, which is why a bondsman is vital to anybody who wishes to wait for their trial outside of prison.
The exact amount of bail {will vary|depends on a lot of different factors. For instance, two individuals who committed the exact same criminal offense can have very different bail amounts. This can happen because the court will look into your financial circumstances, previous arrests, your roots in the community, and whether or not you are a flight risk.
In almost all states, the rate charged by the bail bondsman is typically 10-20% of the overall bail amount, and this will not be refunded.
In addition, the bonding company can help you maneuver around the complex judicial procedures. It's more convenient to hire their services then to deal with the court by yourself.
Here's how the bail bonds process works
In case you get detained and accused of an alleged criminal offense, the very first thing that you should do is to call a good lawyer and someone, possibly even the attorney himself, who can hook you up with a bondsman to begin the bail bonds process. You or your representative can deal with the bail bondsman who is going to ask you standard questions such as the suspect's name, birthdate, and the location or city of the arrest. The bondsman will then give you a deal for posting your bail . Upon your approval of the agreement, the bail bondsman will handle all the formalities to to get you released from jail. With the help of the bail bondsman, you can walk out of prison and enjoy the company of your friends and family once again.
Information your bondsman needs to know
If you contact a bonding company, you will have to share the following details:
- Your full name if you are the suspect
- The name and location of the jail where the accused is held
- The booking number in the police blotter
- The complaints filed against the defendant
- Any extra relevant details
What is accepted as collateral?
In most cases, the bail bondsman will ask for collateral with the transaction. This is understandable, taking into consideration the risks that are involved. An inmate is a possible flight risk, and are many examples where a bonding company needed to employ the services of a bounty hunter to recover the fleeing offender.
But what is acceptable as collateral? In a nut-shell, when a bail bondsman considers something valuable, you can use it as a guarantee for the bond. Below are a couple of examples:
- Realty
- Automobiles
- Shares
- Jewelry
- Electronic devices
- Bank accounts
- Credit cards
If you have trouble paying for the bail bond, bonding companies usually offer payment options that you can use. Just speak with the bondsman to figure out which option is best suited for your circumstances.
You can use our website to search for a bail bondsman that is perfect for you. Almost all of them operate 24/7, ready to assist you or your loved one to spend the least amount of time in prison as possible.
