Throughout the past three-plus decades, police officers within the United States have consistently made in excess of 10 million arrests each and every year. These people are held in jail from the point immediately after arrests are made – even though they haven’t been proven guilty in courts of law – until they reach their scheduled court date. Fortunately, however, they, their friends, their loved ones, their associates, and bail bondsmen can post bail – bail typically starts in the hundreds of dollars and ranges upwards from there – to keep them out of jail until their scheduled court dates.
Although you’re – as, presumably, a United States citizen – not likely to be arrested and go to jail at any point during your life, you’re likely to know somebody who will be faced with these issues. As such, it can’t hurt to learn about these major types of bail.
Arrestees Are Sometimes Released On Their Own Recognizance
Being released on one’s own recognizance is another way of saying that arrestees don’t have to fork over any collateral to bond themselves out until their first court date. These releases are typically only granted for people who’ve been accused of committing minor crimes.
Cash Bail
Bail, the dollar value that courts of law set as collateral for arrestees to be able to bond out of jail, is unarguably the simplest form of bail – simply provide cash to a court of law and you’re out of jail.
Surety Bonds – Also Known As Bail Bonds
When people accused of crimes don’t have enough money to put up as collateral, they often turn to bail bondsmen. In exchange for posting bail so the accused can be set temporarily free, whoever contacts bail bondsmen has to sign an agreement to pay roughly 10 percent of that case’s bail amount.
Property Bonds
Accused individuals can temporarily sign over the rights to their land, homes, and other pieces of realty in exchange for temporary release. If the accused don’t show up, such properties are often foreclosed on.
It’s easy to see that bail bonding is difficult to digest. You should be able to click here if you need real-world assistance with soliciting bail bondsmen.