4 Questions About Bail Bonds And The Bail Process
Everyone that is arrested will have an arraignment where a judge decides on how much bail will be for them to receive early release from jail. The accused person can pay for bail themselves or request a bail bond for the funds that they need. If you are unfamiliar with bail bonds and the bond process, here are some questions that you may have about it all.
What Payment Methods Do Bondsmen Accept?
While cash is always going to be the ideal payment method for a bail bond, know that they accept all types of payments. This includes putting the money on a credit card, writing a check, using a money order, or even providing collateral worth the amount of the bail money being requested. There is no need to have the premium payment be in all cash to receive the bail bond.
What Happens To Your Bail Bond If You Skip Your Court Date?
Part of using a bail bond is the agreement that you will show up to all court dates so that the bail money can eventually be released. If you decide not to show up to court and skip town, you'll have a warrant out for your arrest, and your bail money could potentially be lost.
A bondsman takes on the task of recovering your bail money by using a bounty hunter. These are people that have the task of tracking you down and bringing you back to jail. You'll end up losing your collateral that you provided to receive bail money, and the bounty hunter receives a payment for their services.
Are There Regulations For Bail Premiums?
Bondsmen can set their own rate for using their services, but there are regulations that state how much they can charge for their services. Make sure you are familiar with your state's laws to verify that you are being charged correctly.
Can A Bondsman Help Negotiate The Bail Amount?
Since a bail bond premium is based on a percentage of the bail amount, expensive bail will result in an expensive premium to cover it. If you think that your bail bondsman can help reduce how much bail you owe for early release, you'd be very wrong. Your lawyer can fight for reasonable bail in court, but once the bail is set, know that it is what it is.
The only thing you can do to reduce how big of a bail bond you'll need is to partially pay for the bond yourself with what you have, and then let the bondsman pick up the rest.
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