What Everyone Needs To Know About Court Bail Bonds
If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being arrested and charged with a crime, then it's important you understand the court bail bond process.
Without obtaining a bail bond, you could be stuck in the county jail for months. Even worse, if you happen to live in a state with a slow court system you could be trapped in the county jail for over a year!
In order to obtain a bond and free yourself from jail, there are many steps to the process, including:
Step 1: The Arraignment Hearing
Within a day or two of being arrested, you will have an arraignment hearing in the criminal court division of your local courthouse.
At your arraignment hearing, the charges against you will be read and your lawyer will ask the judge to grant you bail. If you are employed, your attorney will likely point out you need to get out of jail so you can get back to working and supporting your family.
Step 2: Obtaining a Bail Bond
If the judge grants you bail, then you need to have someone either pay the total amount to the court or obtain a bail bond.
Bail bonds are a special type of surety bonds that are issued by insurance companies to licensed bail bond companies.
The cost a bail bond service can charge to consumers for a bail bond is something that is highly regulated by the government. Typically, you will pay ten to fifteen percent of the actual bail price for a bond and then put up collateral for the difference between the bond cost and your total bail amount.
Step 3: You Need to Call a Friend or Family Member to Bond You Out of Jail
When you are in jail you are permitted to call friends and relatives but not a bail bond agency. The call to the bonding company must come from outside of the jail and be placed by the person who will be financially responsible for the bond. This person needs to work with the bonding company to process you out of jail.
Special Types of Bail Bonds
Finally, it's important to mention not all bail bonds are the same. While they are all surety bonds and issued by the same third-party insurance companies, they are not issued to all bail bond companies. For example, if you are charged with an immigration crime and need an immigration bail bond, then you will need to work with a bonding company approved to be issued this type of specialty bond.
See this site for more information.