Court appearances may be a very stressful moment if a loved one or friend has been arrested. To add to the stress, you will need a large sum of money in order for them to avoid staying in jail while awaiting their court date. Bail bonds can assist in reducing the stress involved with this procedure. Bail bonds are used to ensure defendants’ freedom in between court hearings by putting up the cash for bail.
Here’s all you need to know if a loved one or friend has been charged and needs help with posting bail.
How Does a Court Determine the Amount of a Bail Bond?
Judges have a lot of leeway in deciding whether to grant bail and how much the bail should be set. The court examines numerous variables during the bail hearing when calculating the proper bail bond amount depending on the facts of each case.
Bail is set on an individual premise based on a variety of considerations, including the type of crime your friend committed, their links to society, and whether the judge believes they will appear in court. Ultimately, the judge must be certain that your loved one will appear in court on every occasion after being freed from jail after making bail.
Can A Person Be Denied Bail?
Bail might be rejected if there is recorded proof that your friend will avoid justice or violate other laws while pending trial. Judges might also reject bail for serious offenses based on the circumstances of the case and the potential threat to public safety.
Judges can reject bail if they deem it would not dissuade your friend from missing future court appearances. Bail cannot be dismissed based on a person’s financial situation, color, race, or nationality.
The complete bail sum is often set at a sum that your friend might pay on their own, but this does not imply that every defendant has the funds to post the bail on their own. This is why bail bonds businesses are so useful, as we’ll discuss further below.
Using a Bail Bonds Agency
Utilizing a bail bonds agency is the most typical way to post bail. In return for a 10% charge on the entire bail cost, a bail bonds company offers to pay the full sum of your friend or loved one’s bail to the court.
In other words, if the judge set your friend’s cash bail at $10,000, the bail bondsman would charge them a one-time, non-refundable premium of $1000 (10% of the $10,000 cash bail amount) in return for posting the entire amount of money required by the court.
This way, your friend can post bail that they would otherwise be unable to afford by paying a 10% premium. This enables your loved one to post bail, get out of detention, and go about their lives while the judicial processes are ongoing.
One of the most significant advantages of using bail bonds in San Diego or any in your surrounding area is that it is less expensive. It considerably decreases the amount of bail that the accused must pay.
How Does Collateral Play a Role?
The use of collateral is critical in the operation of bail bonds. You are frequently required to deposit collateral with the bail bonds company in order to cover the entire bail cost and limit the possibility of your friend missing future court hearings.
If the bail is set at $10,000, you will pay a 10% premium ($1000) to the bail bonds company and post collateral equal to the whole bond amount. For instance, you can use a vehicle with a $10,000 valuation as collateral. Because the bail bond firm is already paying the full bail sum to the court, the collateral is used to lessen their risk exposure.
What to Do If My Friend Is On Bail?
Now that the accused has been freed from jail, they must show up at their next court hearing and follow the terms of their bail. Here are some tips to keep them from skipping bail:
- Distract them from the unhealthy influences that may have gotten them into this predicament.
- Give the bail bond agency as much information on the defendant as possible so that they may be found more quickly if they jump bail.
- Understand the facts surrounding the case and the implications if the accused fails to appear in court. Ascertain that the accused is also well-versed in these!
Closing Thoughts
If the defendant skips the court date, the bail bond agency must pay the full bail money as agreed. The bail bondsman will then try to locate the accused and bring them to justice to recover the funds within the agreed-upon time frame. If there was collateral, it would also be seized. However, adhering to the bail terms and appearing in court will ensure that none of this occurs.
