Bail bonds allow a defendant to post bail that they would not have been able to pay otherwise. On the defendant's behalf, the bail bondsman posts the whole amount. The defendant pays a portion of the bail amount – generally a small percentage – to the bail bondsman. This is a non-refundable payment. The bond is usually secured with collateral by the bondsman.
What Is a Bail Bond?
A bail bond is a court payment made on behalf of a criminal defendant by a bail bond firm like A Easy Way Out Bail Bonds. As a result, it's classified as a surety bond.
Bail is the amount money a defendant must pay to be released from county jail before their trial. The bond will be refunded if the defendant posts bail, attends all mandatory court hearings, and follows their release conditions. The whole bail sum is forfeited if the offender fails to appear at a specified court date.
Bail bonds allow defendants to post bail when their financial condition makes it impossible for them to do so on their own.
Defendants can post bail using a bail bond. This allows them to be released from custody before their trial. Defendants must, however, pay a fraction of the bail sum to get a bail bond. This percentage, unlike bail, is non-refundable, even if the defendant follows all of the conditions of pretrial release.
How Does Bail Bond Work?
After the court has set bail, the defendant can call a bail bondsman. The defendant or a loved one will be required to pay a portion of the bail amount to the bondsman, also known as a bail bond agency. The release procedure will begin after the bondsman receives this payment. The remainder of the bail sum is often secured with collateral by the bond agent. If the defendant fails to appear for bail, they must sign a contract forfeiting their property to cover the remaining bond amount.
If the defendant lacks sufficient funds to post the bond, the bail bond agency may seek collateral from friends or family members.
The bondsman will post bail on behalf of the defendant after they have received the fee and is satisfied with the collateral.
Many licensed bail bonds companies provide payment plans and a variety of payment methods if the defendant is unable to pay the charge. Credit cards, debit cards, and cash bail money are examples of this.
What Happens If The Defendant Forfeits Bail?
Defendants who get a bail bond and then fail to appear in court lose their bail, owing the bondsman the whole bail sum. The bail bond agency will also try to exercise its rights to the collateral that secured the bail bond.
Bail bondsmen will often take great measures to ensure that the defendant shows up in court before their bail is forfeited. They may even check up on defendants the day before their court date. They can try to bring the defendant to the courts physically.
If the defendant fails to appear in court, an arrest warrant will almost certainly be issued. The warrant will be served the next time law enforcement sees the defendant. If the underlying violation was a misdemeanor, such as a first-time DUI charge, officers are unlikely to seek out the defendant to serve the warrant. If the crime was more serious, they would go out of their way to find the defendant.
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