Bail Bonds Company:

What They Should Do, What You Should Expect

Although many people will go their entire lives without ever needing to work with a bail bondsman or knowing anything about the California bail bonds process, not everyone is as fortunate.

People from all walks of life find themselves on the wrong side of the law and sometimes, that means arrested, in handcuffs, in the back of a police car, and being taken to jail. Perhaps they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or a person may have made an error in judgment which results in their arrest. Or maybe, two roommates get into a heated shouting match late one night about whose responsibility it was to take the trash out, and a neighbor calls the police because they’ve been woken. In California, this is technically classified as a domestic dispute, and when the police are called to break one up, someone, will be arrested and taken into custody.

Let’s say that the person arrested in this case is Jane Smith, and Jane calls you from jail asking you to bail her out. The first thing you’ll need to do is find an expert bail bondsman to assist you. You’ll probably have a number of questions, and you’ll want the person you’re speaking with to be knowledgeable. 

Paying for a Bail Bond

In the state of California, a person can be bailed out of jail by posting 10% of the total bond. So if Jane’s bail has been set at $50,000, it will cost $5,000 to bail her out. That 10% is an industry standard and it’s a number which has been sent by the California Department of Insurance.

Since Jane is calling you in the middle of the night, you may want to look for a bondsman that can help you with online bail bonds. This is possible, so you may want to look for it from the beginning. No one really wants to go to a dirty, seedy area of town at anytime.

Payment for bail bonds is generally made in advance of the defendant’s release from jail. So, for Jane, you would need $5,000 to get her out. Right there, you may be thinking, “Jane is not that good of a friend!” You will likely want to find a bondsman who can make a flexible payment arrangement that you or Jane can pay off. Or, you may decide this is a good time to call Jane’s family for help.

Choosing a Bail Bondsman

So the moral of this story is that when you hire your bail bondsman, make sure it’s someone you feel you can trust. He or she should take the time to fully answer questions you might have about California bail bonds, should handle your situation with confidentiality as well as assist you in understanding how the bail bond process works. Ultimately, you’ll most want to work with someone whom you feel is knowledgeable, professional, and, perhaps most importantly, someone you feel you can trust.

 More California Bail Bonds Resources

Updated: 10/29/2011