Bail bonds
One of the most scary places you can find yourself in is inside a prison after being arrested and charged with an supposed crime. Things might go south even further if you or your loved ones have no immediate cash on hand to post your bail , which will allow you temporary freedom. In such a difficult situation, you first need to calm yourself, think clear, and opt for the most helpful solution: Contact a bail bondsman who can really help a lot in getting you released from jail.
You are permitted at least one phone call following your arrest. Use that phone call to contact a loved one and ask him or her to reach out to a bail bondsman. Your family member could visit our website to search for a reputable bail bondsman in Cooper County who can then post the required bail on your behalf to secure your freedom.
Use a bail bond to gain temporary freedom after an arrest
The legal system permits a bondsman to post a bail bond, also called surety bond, to help persons apprehended and charged with a criminal offense get temporary freedom while awaiting their court hearing.
The law allows two sorts of bail bond-- a criminal bail bond as well as a civil bail bond.
To be clear, a judge does not require a criminal bail bond to penalize you for your alleged crime. You are still presumed innocent up until proven guilty. Even so, the court needs to have an assurance that you will show up at trial to face your accuser; hence, the need to post bail. If you show up at all your scheduled criminal proceedings as promised, and you are eventually found not guilty, the bail will be given back to you. If you are condemned, the bail money will be used to take care of the penalties and fines that the judge might impose on you. When you skip the court hearings, the bail will be forfeited and you will be subject to getting arrested.
On the contrary, the civil bail bonds imposed on civil cases function as a guarantee or a surety with the court where the financial obligations, claims, and costs enforced on the defendant can be paid from.
How helpful is a bail bond?
A bonding company is your best opportunity to not spend too much time in prison if you don't have sufficient cash available to post your bail. A bail bondsman generally asks for a non-refundable rate of 10% of the bail amount. That is just reasonable, taking into account the risk the bail bondsman is taking in providing the bond. In any case, the most important thing is to get you out of jail, and for that to happen have to find a dependable bonding company in your area.
A deal with a bonding company is also useful given that they will facilitate your release from prison, simplifying a difficult legal process. You can simply contact a bail bondsman who will provide you a deal and ask you to give the necessary information about yourself, or somebody you wish to bail out of prison. When you agree to the contract, you can just sit tight and wait for the bondsman to pay the bail on your behalf.
Of course you still have to attend your hearing. But now that you're free on a bond, you can appear in court in your own clothes. When you had stayed in prison because you could not post bail, you would have appeared in court in a prison jumpsuit -- and that's not a pretty sight to see. A bondsman enables you to make a decent appearance in the courtroom, which really matters a whole lot since first impressions matter.
How does the bail bonds process work?
To begin the bail bonds process, you first need to search for a bail agent. You can do that in person, over the phone and even online. Given the stringent adherence to professionalism, a bondsman will gladly walk you through the bail bond procedure and straighten out any doubts that you may have.
Time is of the essence during this procedure. When the bail bondsman answered all of your concerns to your satisfaction, the bail agent will deal with all of the procedures required to get you or your loved one released from jail.
To ensure all goes well, a bail bondsman needs to know the defendant's name, birthdate, and the location or city of the arrest. With this info, the bondsman will have the ability to get additional info from the prison system required to secure the release. After dealing with all the procedures, the bail bondsman will visit the prison to get the defendant released.
Using a bondsman to bail out yourself or someone you know is that straightforward, you can be out of jail and reunited with your loved ones in a few hours.
What info does a bondsman need?
When you speak with a bonding company, they will ask for:
- The full name and age of the offender
- The location where the defendant is locked up
- The booking reference number and the charge
What is accepted as collateral?
In most cases, the bonding company requires collateral with the transaction. This is reasonable considering the risks involved. An inmate is a flight risk, and there have been plenty of examples where a bail bondsman had to hire a bounty hunter to bring back the fleeing defendant.
But what is accepted as collateral? Essentially, if a bonding company considers an asset valuable, you can use it as collateral for the bail bond. Below are a some examples:
- Realty
- Autos
- Equities
- Jewelry
- Electronic devices
- Bank accounts
- Visa or mastercard
If you find that the bail bond is too high, bail bonds companies usually offer payment options that you can use. Simply speak with the bail bondsman to figure out what option is best suited when it comes to your situation.
Use this website to look for a bondsman that is perfect for your needs. Almost all of them operate 24/7, ready to help you or a family member to spend the least amount of time in jail as possible.
