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Over 10 million people are arrested in the United States every year. Many of those arrested have been brought in for drug-related offenses.
If you or somebody you know has been caught or accused of the misappropriation of controlled substances, once you’re brought into jail, you may have the opportunity to wait for your court date at home rather than sitting in prison.
This process is called posting bail or getting a bail bond.
If you’re curious about how to get a bail bond, here is a comprehensive guide on everything that you need to know.
Understand What Bail Is
Before you go off trying to figure out how to get a bail bond, it’s important that you have a solid idea of what bail is.
Bail is a courtesy offered by the court to people who have been arrested. It allows for accused persons to wait for their trial date at home as opposed to waiting in jail.
To ensure that accused persons waiting at home don’t run off and miss their court date, the court demands that those accused give a deposit to the court which will be forfeited if a court date is skipped.
This deposit can be given in cash or through property (for example, by allowing the court to put a lien on your home).
Waiting for Your Bail to Get Set
Before you can post bail, you have to wait for the court to set your bail.
Bail amounts will change based on how severe your crime is. The more severe the crime, the higher your bail amount will be.
Furthermore, not all persons are entitled to bail. If the court determines that an accused person is a “flight risk” (poses a high risk of not showing up for their trial) they may deny bail. Typically, those that are denied bail are repeat offenders.
Post Your Own Bail… If You Can
Given that this article is targeted at people that are looking for help to post bail due to financial concerns, we understand that most readers won’t have the means to post bail by themselves.
If you do have the financial means to meet your bail burden, you can pay your way out of jail without any third party intervention. This can be accomplished by putting down a deposit that’s equal to your bail amount with your county’s clerk.
Posting your own bail can save you a considerable amount of money when compared to working with a bondsman as you’ll see in a moment.
Find a Bail Bondsman
Most people that get arrested cannot afford to bail themselves out. This is why so many people turn to the internet wondering how to get a bail bond.
Getting a bail bond is as simple as finding a bondsman that operates in your state and signing a contract with them. Chances are, there are a number of bondsman who work within a stone’s throw of just about any jailhouse.
Below are some bail bondsman finding and vetting tips.
Ask for a Referral from Your Lawyer
If you’re already working with an attorney, they should have a bail bonds company that they work with. They may even be able to offer you a discount on their services.
Have a Loved One Do Research
A simple Google search of “bail bondsman in my area” should turn up a number of results showcasing companies that you can work with. Have your loved one find a few leads and call around to see which bonds company is a good fit for your needs.
Understand Bondsman Fees
A bail bondsman will put forward your bail amount on your behalf. They do this in exchange for a non-refundable fee that you have to pay.
Typically, this fee is 10% of your total bond amount.
If your bail is high and you don’t have 10% of your bail amount in your possession, most bondsman will work out payment plans with you so you can pay down their fee over time.
Inspect Your Bail Contract Carefully Before Signing
Once you’ve come to terms with a bondsman on fees and payment schedules, it’ll be time to sign a contract with them. Be sure that you or your loved one reads the contract carefully prior to signing.
If everything looks good and the contract gets signed, many bondsmen can leverage their court connections to have an arrested person out of custody almost immediately.
Show Up for Your Court Dates
Now that you know how to get a bail bond, it’s important that you understand the importance of showing up for all of your scheduled court dates.
When you pay your own bail, if you show up for your court date, you’ll get 100% of your money back. If you had a bondsman post your bail, by showing up to court, your bondsman will be able to recoup the deposit that they put down on your behalf.
Trying to cheat a bondsman out of their money by not showing up to court is a bad idea. Bondsman often work with an extensive network of bounty hunters and private investigators that will do everything in their power to get you to court.
Also, violating your bond contract will land you in deep legal trouble.
Wrapping Up How to Get a Bail Bond
Getting caught in the act of drug possession can be scary. If you leverage our how to get a bail bond tips above though, you’ll at least get to await your trial without needing to sit in jail.
We hope that our information has been helpful to you and that it takes a little bit of the pressure off of your stressful situation.
For more information on how to cope with legal trouble and other problems while being tight on cash, check out more content on eMoneyIndeed today.
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