Busting Someone Out Of The Clink With A Bail Bond

Trying to get someone out of jail? If bail has been set by the magistrate or judge, you may find yourself unable to come up with the secured amount. A bail bondsman can help by posting the bail, almost like obtaining a loan. Before you visit these bondsmen, however, there are a few things about posting bail that you need to know:

Before you visit a bondsman, know the following about posting bail bonds:

Be prepared. Be sure to have complete and accurate information pertaining to the arrestee before reaching out to the bail bondsman. Some things that they will need to know before they can help you secure bail is where the defendant currently is, the place that they are being held at, when they arrived at the jail, and the arrestee's proper name and birthdate.

The process will take some time.  Sometimes the wheels of justice move slowly, so be prepared for it to take a little time to bail your defendant out of jail. This task involves a processing, which is when the arrestee is fingerprinted and photographed. The process may also entail a meeting with a judge or magistrate to set the bail, which usually takes a few hours.

A bondsman will work with the court. The bail bondsman that you enlist to secure bail will work out an arrangement with the court, assuring that the arrestee shows up to a subsequent court date. The bondsman basically promises the court that the defendant will appear, and he or she will put their own property, money, or reputation on the line to free the defendant until the court date.

There can be two outcomes in these situations:

• If the defendant does appear for their court date, the bondsman will not have to fork over any money or property that has been used to secure the defendant's release from jail.
• If the defendant doesn't appear for court, the bondsman is responsible for the bail and may reach out to a bounty hunter to track down the defendant for arrest. This will make whoever posted bail or hired the bail bondsman responsible for paying the bond back to the bondsman.

It's like a loan. By working with a bondsman, you are basically promising to pay him or her back in the event the defendant does not appear in court, plus fees as set by the bondsman that you are working with. If you are short on cash, a bondsman may ask for collateral, such as personal property, to ensure the arrestee appears and they don't have to pay the bail to the court. Some bondsmen may require that you have a cosigner before agreeing to bail out the defendant.

How well do you know the defendant? Make sure that it is in your best interest to bail out the individual and that you can trust that they will show up for subsequent court appearances. If you bail the defendant out, you are taking responsibility for them so read any paperwork provided to you by the jail and the bondsman carefully. There could be some restrictions in place for the release, which if violated, could cause you to lose your bail money.

Think carefully about what you are putting on the line before you go ahead and post a bail bond for someone else. Know that a bail bondsman can help you if you don't have the funds or collateral to cover the amount posted for bail. Check out local bail bondsmen, such as STAT Bail Bonds LLC, for more information and terms of posting bail in your region and jurisdiction.