Bail bonds
When a person is put behind bars and charged for a serious criminal offense, they need to wait in jail until a bail hearing. It is during this bail hearing that the judge determines the bail . If that individual can't raise the amount of money, they need to stay in prison till their court hearing. However that does not always have to hold true; they can also look for the services of a bail bondsman.
Sadly, most people end up remaining in jail till their court appearance because many do not have a large sum of cash available in the bank.
Our website will help you with bailing out your loved ones by connecting you to trustworthy and budget friendly bail bond representatives in Morgan County.
Why does a judge impose bail ?
The law permits the services of a commercial bonding company to post a bail bond, also known as surety bond, to help an offender get temporary freedom while waiting for their court appearance.
The law allows two types of bail -- a criminal bail bond and a civil bail bond.
To make it clear, a court does not impose a criminal bail bond to penalize you for your supposed criminal offense. You are still innocent till proven guilty. Nevertheless, the court needs to have an assurance that you will appear in court to face your accuser; hence, the need to post bail. If you participate in all your arranged criminal proceedings as promised, and you are eventually found not guilty, the bail will be repaid to you. In case you are found guilty, the bail money will be used to take care of the fines and penalties that the judge might enforce on you. When you miss the court hearings, the bail will be lost and you will be subject to getting arrested.
The same justification applies with the civil bail bonds. The bail enforced on civil cases serves as a guarantee or a surety that the defendant will have the ability to pay the fines and penalties that the judge may enforce on the suspect after the trial.
Do I need to hire a bail bondsman?
When you can afford to pay bail on your own, you don't need to hire a bonding company. For one, they ask a small fee for their assistance, in addition to the collateral you need to provide for what is definitely classified as a loan.
In nearly all states, the bondsman will charge a fee of about 10-20% of the overall amount of the bail bond. You can't get this money back even when you are cleared of the offense. On the upside, you don't need to stress over submitting the paperwork or dealing with court personnel since the bonding company will take care of everything . Second, you will have a better prospect of having your bail petition accepted by virtue of the reputation of the bonding company alone. Lastly, as a result of their familiarity with the process, you can possibly be out of prison in a couple of hours.
Finally, the bondsman knows the advantage of a good first impression on the judge and jury. If you are transferred to the regional or federal prison, you will be hauled to the courthouse in the official prisoner's jumpsuit. On the other hand, if you made bail, you are able to dress well and ensure a good first impression on the court.
How does the bail bond process work?
Choosing a good bail bondsman is very important. Unfortunately, there are deceitful companies around who prey on unsuspicious families who are already desperate .
Make sure you are ready when you speak with a bail bondsman. Ask all questions you might have, and only after all your doubts are quelled should you take the next steps of hiring their services. They can then continue with paying the bail and submitting the required paperwork to get you or a friend released.
What your bondsman needs to know about you
When you or your representative get in touch with a bonding company, they will ask for the following info:
- The full name of the suspect
- The name and location of the jail where the defendant is held
- The booking number in the police blotter
- The charges filed against the suspect
- Any extra related details
Will the bondsman need collateral ?
If a bonding company will ask for collateral for putting up bail differs between cases, however, it is common in the business. Regarding the sort of collateral that is accepted, the list is simply way too long to mention all. But if a bail bondsman believes that something is valueable, it can be acceptable as collateral. Listed below are just a couple of examples:
- House or property
- Cars, boats, yachts
- Jewelry or gemstones
- Shares, stocks or equities
- Bank accounts
- TV, appliances or other electronics
- Antiques or art
- Farm equipment
And when available, you could also make use of payment plans offered by a bail bondsman.
If you or a friend run the risk of remaining in prison for a long time simply because you can't come up with the amount of money, a bondsman is the only course of action that is left. On our site you can find a bondsman in Morgan County. A lot of them are open for business day and night.
