What To Do When The Bail Amount Is Set
If you have a loved one that was just arrested, you might find yourself trying to figure out what the next step should be. You want to help, but you don't know if you can afford to bail them out of jail. First, you have to wait until the defendant goes before a judge in order to have a bail amount set. In rare cases, no bail is allowed and that means that the defendant must remain in custody until they go to trial. These are usually reserved for extremely severe cases or for individuals who are deemed to be a flight risk. Once the bail is set, here are some things you will want to do:
Decide If Bailing Out Is An Option
You may not need to pay the bail in full. This is good news for a lot of people because many of them do not have that kind of money sitting in their bank accounts. And if they do, they might not want to forfeit all of it in order to get someone out of jail. Instead, you may want to determine if a bail bond is the best way to go. With a bail bond, you might not have to put down any cash and if you do, it is usually only a small percentage of the total bail amount.
Discuss The Terms Of The Bail Bonds With The Defendant
It is crucial that both you and the person you are trying to get out of jail understand the terms of bail bonds. You, as the signer for the bail bond, will be financially responsible for the entire amount of the bond should the defendant decide to not show up to court. The bond would become due in full immediately, while the bondsman hires someone to go on the hunt to track down the defendant and take them back to jail. This could result in the loss of money, your home, your car, or anything else that you might have used as collateral. You need to know that the defendant is not going to run away and leave you with the bill.
Contact a local bail bondsman if you are ready to go ahead and move forward with this process. The last thing you want to do is to wait any longer than needed, especially if you believe that your friend or family member is innocent. Jail can be a rough place to be, especially when trying to work on your legal defense.
For more info about bail bonds, contact a local professional.