When someone from your friends or family is in jail, you only keep thinking about getting them bailed. Did you know? There are a few options with the help of which you can easily get them out. You must have heard about bonds and bail. Yes, with a bail bond you can take them out of jail.
Bail is nothing but a certain amount of money paid to the court to get a prisoner released from jail. Bail is usually paid either by the defendant or any representative of the defendant. The bail amount varies and is based on how serious the charge imposed is. You should also know that certain charges are not qualified for bail.
Hence, before posting bail for someone, know about the charges and whether or not it will be qualified for bail. Bail bond Marathon is something you should know. Let us now go over a few things that you need to know before posting bail for someone, to have better clarity of the situation.
1. Missing Court Dates Will Have Serious Consequences
When you want to get someone bailed from jail, they will have to attend several hearings at the court. This is done so that the judge can understand the case better and decide whether or not the charge is worth the bail. That said, all the hearings held need to be attended by the defendant otherwise an arrest warrant can be imposed. Furthermore, if they do not appear at the court within a specified period, the property or money posted for bail will be taken by the court, by default.
You will have to hire a bonding company for the bailing process, and if a hearing is missed they will forfeit the amount or the valuables you put as collateral with them. Alternatively, they can also take a refund from you for the amount paid to the court.
2. Bailing Can Be Expensive
Undoubtedly, getting someone out of jail is an expensive affair. This is why you should not make any mistake to avoid all repercussions. When you work with a bonding agent, you will have to pay the non-refundable fees and administrative costs as well. For some places, the feed that is to be paid is about 10-15% of the bail amount.
When the bail amount is more, the cost paid to the bonding company for administrative costs will be more as well. Alternatively, you can directly pay the bailing amount to the court, but then the money will be tied to the court for several months. This is one of the major reasons people opt to go for the bonding company even if they have to pay them certain fees.
3. There Is No Guarantee That You Will Receive What You Give
When you have to get someone bailed from jail, there is no surprise that you may be asked to pay a whopping amount of $50,000. Paying such a hefty amount in liquidity can be difficult. Moreover, getting back what you pay is not certain and so you need to be vigilant with the amount you pay. At times you are only left with the option of working with a bail bond company.
This way you will be able to post bail through a property bond at certain fees. This alternative is no doubt a great one, at times things can get complex if the bonding company doesn’t remit the payment. For instance, if you use your house as collateral and you fail to pay the fees to the bondsmen then you will lose your house.
4. Experienced Criminal Attorney Will Help Mitigate Risks
When you want to get someone bailed, you can use any property of yours for the security of the bond. It can be anything valuable including a paid-off car, art collection, your house, piece of land, jewelry, or just anything. Before agreeing to a property bond, you need to understand and read all the terms and conditions listed.
If you don’t have much idea about the same, you can consider talking to an experienced criminal attorney. It will help mitigate the risks of losing the property that you used as a security for the bail bond.
5. Poor Choices May Turn Expensive For You
That said, if they make poor choices, you may have to pay for the consequences. Bailing someone out from jail means that certain conditions of the bail bond are to be met. For instance, the person may have been ordered not to make any contact with the alleged victim. In some cases, they may also have to undergo certain treatment programs that include drug or alcohol treatment.
It should be your responsibility to take care of such things when you are involved in the bailing process. All the court-mandated requirements are to be met for the best results. If in case any of the stated terms are violated, then the authorities may revoke the bond. This way, they will be sent to jail. Know that the consequences of not following the terms and conditions properly don’t fall on the offender only.
You may be spilled along with them too. When putting collaterals with the bail bond company be informed that they can be forfeited by the bondsmen if there are any errors or the hearing is missed. No denying, you can do anything to get your friends or family out of jail, but the same situation needs wise decisions.
The Bottom Line
Getting someone bailed from jail may seem like the easiest thing to do. In reality, the entire process is complex. There are several considerations that you need to know to make sure you make informed choices. It is strictly advised that you should not make any misguided decisions driven by emotions, be mindful and make decisions that will be beneficial for all. Before you get started with the bailing process, know a few important things that will help you in the long run. Evaluate your assets and income before posting bail for someone.