To walk free after arrest by avoiding a jail term, you must furnish or post bail and bail bonds. The court knows that people are eager to avoid jail but also wants some assurance or security or promise that the person would appear for subsequent court proceedings. This security comes in the form of depositing a sum of money decided by the court, which in legal parlance people call bail posting. In the case of providing cash, it is necessary to prove that it is legal money. The bail amount can be considerably high in some cases, depending on what the court considers fair by taking into account the background of the arrested person and the seriousness of the case. If the court is suspicious about the legality of the money source, it can reject the bail.
Bail bonds
It is not always necessary to pay money in cash to secure bail because many people prefer to use the services of a bail bondsman and utilize Castle Bail Bonds in lieu of cash. This would relieve the person from the hassles of proving the legality of the source of money. The bail bond agent will arrange for the bail by taking only 10% of the bail amount and will guarantee the court that the person will appear for trial and thus obtain his or her release from jail or police custody.
The role of the bail agent is like that of an insurance agent. They charge the fee for assessing the risk and then take calculated chances with the court by promising that the person will show up for trial.
Depending on the risk and the social status of the person, the bail bondsman might accept less than 10% to work on the bail. For example, if a lawyer represents the accused person, the bondsman might reduce the bail amount as they would do for some professionals like police officers.
The process
Looking for a trustworthy bail agent is important as they would explain the process to you in details in a professional manner. Despite being a long and complicated process, the bail agent’s involvement and assistance will make things easy for you.
On sharing the details of the arrested person with the bail agent, the agent would research the booking information to extract all information about the case like booking number and bond amount as well as charges and court date. In case you are not paying in cash, it will involve co-signers to whom the bondsman will explain everything. But for cash payment, the agent would pre-qualify you for a bond. The final cost depends on collateral, down payment, and whether co-signers are required.
Payment
The bond agent accepts cash payment as well as credit card and debit card payments and online funds transfer. On receipt of the payment, the agent will post the bond with the court. The process can take as little as 30 minutes or run into several hours, depending on the day of business.
To get back the money, you must appear in court as promised.
