Three Things You Should Know About Making Bail After An Arrest

Posted on: 9 September 2019

If you find yourself placed under arrest, you will be taken to jail and processed. At some point, you will appear before a judge for an arraignment where the charge or charges will be read, and you will enter a plea. If you plead not guilty, there will be the issue of bail. This is the amount of a bond or the money deposited with the court to assure you will make your court date. At this point, the following are a few things you should know.

Bail can be waived

Of course, this will depend upon the charges and other factors, but often bail can be waived, and you simply promise to make your court date. Your attorney can talk to you about bail before the hearing. You can ask about the chances of bail being waived, and if the chances are not good, you can get an idea from your lawyer how much bail will be. If the typical bail amount for the charges against you is something you can't afford, your attorney may be able to get your bail amount reduced.

Bail can be cash or bond

In certain situations, your bail may only be cash. In this case, a one time deposit will be made for the full bail amount with the court. However, if the bail is cash or bond, then you will have the option of posting a bail bond. This is helpful because you will only need to pay a fraction of the total bail amount, usually 10 percent. If you choose to go the bond route, you will need to use a licensed bail bondsman. They will post the bond for you, and you will be out of jail until your court date.

A bondsman will need collateral

Although a bond company will post a bond with the court, if you do not show up to court, the bond company will have to pay the full amount of the bond. For this reason, they will require collateral to protect themselves. If you don't show up for your court date, they will liquidate your collateral and pay the court the amount of the bond. If you don't have enough collateral to secure the bond, a relative or friend may be able to provide the collateral. Once the court proceedings are over, the collateral is returned. It should be pointed out that the 10 percent that is paid to the bondsman is not refunded. This is their fee for providing the bail service.

The entire process is routine for a bail bondsman. Your lawyer can help point you in the right direction to contact a bondsman. After this, you should ask specific questions about the process to a bail bonding company.

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