Everything You Need to Know About Bail Bonds

If law enforcement officers arrest you for allegedly committing a crime and take you to jail, you may well stay there until a judge sets your bail amount and someone pays it. By definition, bail means the amount of money (or sometimes property) you or someone on your behalf puts up to get you out of jail, but guarantee that you will appear in court whenever you have a hearing until such time as your case concludes.

Bail Amounts

As you might expect, the amount of your bail increases as the seriousness of your alleged crime increases. It also increases if the judge decides you pose a flight risk or a danger to the community. Typical bail amounts include the following:

• Most traffic violations (except alleged DWI): $25–$1,000
• Most misdemeanors: less than $1,500
• Felonies: $1,500–$50,000
• Serious felonies (violent crimes): up to $1 million

Bail Bondsmen

If you have insufficient money or property to make bail personally, you will need to work with a bail bond company. For instance, when you need bail bonds El Campo, you would call a local bail bond company from jail and make arrangements with them to bail you out.

Bail bond companies generally charge a nonrefundable fee amounting to 10% of the bail amount. They also generally are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, giving you access to a bail bondsman whenever you need one, even in the middle of a weekend night.

A reputable bail bond company is not only licensed by the state but also offers a variety of bail bonds, such as the following:

• Cash bonds
• 10% bonds
• Surety bonds
• Property bonds
• Appearance bonds
• Appeals bonds

Remember the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution forbids the government from requiring excessive bail. In virtually all instances, you have the right to post bail and therefore stay out of jail while you are awaiting trial.