Bail bonds
If a suspect is apprehended, he or she will need to spend time in jail while waiting for their bail hearing. This hearing is a procedure in which the judge is going to set the amount of money that serves as a guarantee to the court for the temporary liberty of the defendant. But not everyone is able to put up the requested amount, and then he or she would need to stay in jail throughout the trial. However, {it is possible to enlist the services of|you can make use of the services of a bondsman to cover the bail.
We will help you find reputable bonding companies in Columbia County that will make sure that you or your loved ones can be out of prison, at the very least up till the sentencing.
Why does a judge impose a bail bond ?
The law permits the services of a commercial bonding company to post a bail bond, also called surety bond, to help a suspect gain temporary freedom while waiting for their court hearing.
The judicial system allows two types of bail -- a criminal bail bond and 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. Nevertheless, the court requires a guarantee that you will appear in court to face your accuser; hence, the requirement to post bail. If you show up at all of your scheduled criminal procedures as promised, and you are eventually acquitted, the bail will be given back to you. In case you are found guilty, the bail amount will be used to pay for the penalties and fines that the court may impose on you. If you miss the court hearings, the bail will be forfeited and you will be subject to arrest.
The same reasoning holds with civil bail bonds. The bail imposed on civil cases works as a guarantee or a surety that the suspect will be able to pay the penalties and fines that the court may enforce on the offender after the trial.
How useful is a bail bond?
A bail bondsman is your biggest hope to not spend considerable time in jail in case you don't have sufficient money available to post your bail. A bondsman generally charges a non-refundable rate of 10% of the total bail. That is no more than fair, taking into consideration the risk the company is taking in providing the money. Anyway, the most important thing is to get you out of jail, and for that to happen have to search for a reliable bail bondsman in your city.
A deal with a bonding company is also helpful given that they will help with your release from jail, simplifying a complex legal procedure. You can simply reach out to a bail bondsman who can provide you a deal and ask you to provide the required information about yourself, or somebody you want to bail out of prison. In case you agree to the contract, you can just sit tight and wait for the bonding company to pay the bail for you.
Needless to say you still need to show up at your hearing. But now that you're free on bail, you can show up in court in your own clothes. When you had stayed in jail for failure to put up bail, you would show up in court in a jail uniform-- and that's not a pretty sight to see. A bondsman enables you to make a respectable appearance in the courtroom, which really matters a lot considering that first impressions matter.
How does the bail bonds process work?
To start the bail bonds procedure, you first need to get a bonding comany. You can do that in person, over the phone and even online. Given the strict adherence to professionalism, a bail bondsman will gladly walk you through the bail bond process and iron out any reservations that you might have.
Time is of the essence throughout this procedure. As soon as the bail agent answered all of your questions to your complete satisfaction, the bail bondsman will deal with all of the formalities necessary to get you or your loved one released from jail.
To ensure all goes smoothly, a bondsman needs to know the defendant's name, birthdate, and the location or area of the arrest. With this information, the bail bondsman will be able to get additional info from the prison system needed to secure the release. After dealing with all the procedures, the bondsman will go over to the prison to get the defendant out.
Utilizing a bail bondsman to bail out yourself or somebody you know is that easy, you can be out of prison 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 accused
- The location where the defendant is held
- The booking number and the charges
What is accepted as collateral?
In most cases, the bail bondsman requires collateral with the deal. This is reasonable taking into account the risks that are involved. An offender is a flight risk, and there have been many occasions where a bonding company had to hire a bounty hunter to bring back the fleeing offender.
But what is accepted as collateral? In a nut-shell, if a bail bondsman considers something valuable, you are able to use it as collateral for the bail. Below are a some examples:
- Realty
- Vehicles
- Equities
- Jewelry
- Electronics
- Bank accounts
- Visa or mastercard
If you have trouble paying for the bail bond, bonding companies have payment plans that you can use. Simply speak with the bondsman to figure out which option is the best one when it comes to your situation.
Use our site to find a bondsman that will be perfect for your needs. Many of them are open 24x7, ready to assist you or your loved one to spend the as little time as possible in jail.
