Bail Bonds – A Beginner’s Guide

Although bail bonds are something that you might not need now, you still want to know what they are because they are useful if you ever get into a pickle. It is important that even before you would need this type of bonds, you already have ample knowledge on what they are for, how they can work for you and to your advantage, and where you or your family and friends can get them in time of need. Your knowledge about bail bonds can sometimes spell the difference between rotting in jail while waiting for your day in court and being allowed to stay outside, free to spend time with your family and friends.

So what are bail bonds? Basically, they are a piece of document representing fees or charges that you paid for to get out of jail as you await your trial. As a defendant, you can either pay in full or find a bail bond agency that will be in charge of the bail for you. Since the agency is a private company, it will charge a fee of about 10% to 15% of the total bail amount. People who have a lot of money may not have any problems spending money for bail. However, for the average Joes who do not have $10,000 to spare, they can get help from bail bond agencies.

However, there are also some instances where a judge would require a cash bond. This means that a bond agency would not be allowed to bail you out. Judges usually seek out this type of bail bond if there is a huge risk that the defendant will go missing in action. By the way, did you know that speeding tickets could force the judge to require you to pay cash bond? This is if you refuse to pay your obligations and a warrant has already been issued with regard to your speeding tickets.

Bail bonds are created in order to ensure that the defendant will be attending the court hearing even after he has been taken out of jail. Cash bonds are usually sizeable to prevent people from skipping town. However, if the defendant is proven innocent, the cash bond will be given back in full. If bond agencies are used to provide bail, every time the defendant skips the court hearings he will be charged by the bond agency with a certain amount of fee.