How Do Bail Bondsman Pay Bail?

This week’s question is taken from Yahoo! Answers, where we frequently answer bail bond questions:

How do bail bondsman pay bail?

When a defendant cannot afford to pay the total amount of bail set by the judge: how much would the individual need to pay a bail bondsman in order to be released if, for example, the amount of bail is $6000? Will the defendant have to pay the remaining balance to the court or bondsman? What happens to the bail bond if the defendant fails to appear on the court date?

Answer:

A bail bond is simply a piece of paper that the bondsman gives to the court or jail which guarantees the defendant will show up for their scheduled court date, or the court will be paid. The bondsman does not pay the court anything unless Read more »

How Do Bail Bonds Work?

When someone is arrested, he or she will contact a bail bondsman directly or may call a friend or relative, who may call a bondsman. While it’s possible to obtain bail without a bondsman, it is not very common for friends or family members to post the bail themselves, as it is usually set at a very high price (in excess or $10,000 and on up to over $1 million). Whoever contacts the bail bondsman should be able to provide all available information, such as the name of the jail, the type of crime said to have been committed, defendant’s name and date of birth, and the amount of the bond.

A professional bondsman will explain Read more »

How Do Bail Bondsmen Make Money

In order to best understand how bondsmen make money, you have to first understane how bail bonds work. (Follow that link if you’re unfamiliar. There’s even a video there should you be interested.)

So, now you know that bondsmen in California basically charge 10% of a full bail amount as a fee to get someone out of jail. According to certain court experts, 8 out of 10 defendants Read more »

What Happens to Bail When the Case Is Dropped?

I had this question from Joe yesterday on our Bail Bonds Contact form:

Quick question for you. If the court drops a criminal case against a defendant, do you (the bondsman) return the 10% deposit on the bail amount? Thank you.

That’s a great question and we hear it often. The short answer is Read more »

How Is Bail Set?

Question: I’m not clear how the bail process works. If somebody is arrested for something whether guilty or innocent, they have an option to have bail?

Answer: Bail is set by the court system. Judges set what is called a “bail schedule” in every county every year and for criminal offences. Not every person gets bail because there are mitigating circumstances. The first concern is public safety and then they are going to look at the risk involved with the individual. That is why you’ll hear some bails that are  multi-million dollars in amount. They are set very high and what they are banking on is that there is not really going to be the funds to be raised in order to bail that person out.

Let’s just take Los Angeles as an example. The average bail in Los Angeles is Read more »

How Do You Qualify For Bail Bonds Financing?

It used to be that bail bonds were paid for in advance of a defendant being released from jail on bond. While the best way to obtain a bail bond is by paying your 10% to the bondsman up-front, financing bail bonds has become more and more commonplace.

As in so many financing situations, buyer beware. If you finance a bail bond, you may simply be getting a loan – a loan that comes with a high financing price tag. If you do need to finance a bond, you will want to look for a bondsman who does not charge interest or additional fees for this service. Check the fine print.

With our bail bonds company, in order to qualify for a bail bond payment plan you’ll need to have good credit, and/or own a home. You  will also need Read more »

What is a Bail Bond & What Does It Cost?

Bail bonds, sometimes called ‘surety bonds’ are used to have a defendant released from jail, without having to pay the entire amount. Kind of like an insurance policy, the bond is submitted to the jail and the promise to “make good” on the bond is put into play.

What’s great for the consumer is the bail bond company will only charge 10% of the total amount, which makes it financially easier to bail someone out. Therefore, if the bail is set at $20,000, the consumer would only have to pay$2,000 for the defendant’s release. Further, in certain situations like if the person is using an attorney, the bail agency can legally offer an 8% bond, which would make the premium $1,600 instead of $2,000.

Do I Need To Use A Bail Bondsman?

Quite simply: No, you do not need a bondsman to post bail.

If you have the total amount of the bail in cash, for example, the entire $50,000 bail amount, you can post what is called a ”cash bail” directly at the jail. You will take the full amount ($50,000) in cash or cashiers check to the jailer to secure the release of the defendant. When the defendant’s case is concluded, you would receive that cash back, less any administrative fees charged.

If you (like most people) don’t have $50K on hand that you want to tie up for the duration of the case, your next call is likely a bondsman.

Bail Bondsman Fees

Bail bonds companies by state mandate usually charge Read more »

Bail Bonds Costs and Release Options

The bail bond amount is based on the charges, and set by the judges in a County Bail Schedule.  Depending on the details and severity of the crime, bail schedules have different bail amounts.  For example, a DUI charge in LA County has a $15,000 bail and a DUI charge that involves an accident is set at $50,000.

California’s average bail amount is $25,000, and in many cases it can be higher.  Most people don’t have that amount of money and will need to hire a licensed bail bond agent.  Professional bail bondsmen are very experienced in this area. They know the jail systems and bail schedules, and can walk you through the entire process and handle release procedures.  The jail release process can happen much sooner if a bail bondsman is contacted as soon as possible.

Only judges are allowed to Read more »

What To Do If Someone Is Arrested

Getting arrested may be the last thing you ever expected to happen to someone that you know and care about. But when it does happen, what should you know what to do?

First, stay calm. Yes, this is a crisis, but you will get through it and there are experts to help.

If the person who is arrested calls you, get any details they can provide: What jail are they at? What is the spelling of their full name? Basically (not in detail), why were they arrested? How long ago were they arrested?

Now for the help: Read more »