Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

No one wants to go to jail or deal with the criminal justice system. However, in the unfortunate event that you find yourself in such a situation, you are, in most cases, not required to sit in jail while you await trial. You may post bail, and remain free. Then again, posting bail does not usually come cheap.

 

Bail is some form of property or money deposited to a court so that you, a family member, or friend can be released from jail. The purpose of the bail is to allow the defendant to live their lives and be a functional member of society while they are awaiting final disposition. When posting a bail, the understanding is that the defendant will return to court or else the bail will be forfeited and may also be guilty of the crime for failure to appear or be charged with contempt. In most cases, the bail money will be returned at the end of the trial, if all court appearances have been made, regardless of whether the person is acquitted or convicted of the crime.

 

 The bail amount depends on the nature and severity of the crime and the danger that the defendant may pose to the public while outside of jail. As mentioned earlier, bail can be costly, and many people could not afford to post bail by themselves. The good thing is that one can use the services of a bail bondsman or agent to be released from jail while awaiting trial.

 

 What does a bail bond agent do?

 

 A bond agent is a company representative or an individual acting independent who presents a surety bond to a court of law to release you from jail. A bail agency will put up the money needed for your bail in exchange for a fee. The fee is typically 10% of the total bail. So if the bail is set at $100,000 and you have $10,000, you can leave jail because the bail bondsman will guarantee the rest of the money to the court. The money you pay to the bail bondsman is nonrefundable regardless of the disposition of the case. Aside from this fee, you will also need to provide collateral. Companies accept different types of collateral, but the most common ones are a mortgage on a house, or title to a car, or some other valuable item such as jewelry.

 

 To learn more about bail bonds, click here.