A bail bond is designed to do one thing; get the person bonded to come to court. The idea is that by making somebody close to the defendant put up money, they will ensure the person makes it to court. By doing so, they can avoid being held responsible for the entire bond amount and court costs
There are two main types of bonds. One is a cash bond. With a cash bond, the person posting the bond puts up the full amount of the bond in cash. That money is held until the defendant completes his or her obligation with the court. However, that money may be forfeited under certain circumstances. The most frequent reason for forfeiture is the defendant failing to make court appearances. But other reasons include getting arrested again, picking up a new charge while on bond, or violating any other conditions of bond.
The second main type of bond is a surety bond. A smaller amount of money is paid to a third party to post the bond. The third party will then put up collateral or some other guarantee to post the larger bond amount. The third party then is at risk for the larger bond amount. Because they are at risk, they have the person who pays sign an agreement to pay if the defendant does not make it to court. Sometimes, based on the amount of risk on the bond, they will require more than one person to sign these agreements. Other times they want collateral. All of these things are done to try to minimize their loss if the defendant doesn’t go to court.
Though these are the main types of bonds, all bonds are intended to get the person bonded to appear in court.
If you have a family member or friend in jail, call us. We’ll tell you what it takes to get them out. We’ve dealt with all the local jails. Sometimes people want fast. Sometimes they want cheap. We’ll tell you all your options and let you decide.
Especially when dealing with local jails, it can be really helpful to have someone assisting who knows the system. Some of the jails are very big with lots of employees. They can’t always say exactly where a person is being held or exactly when they might be getting out. Talking with one of the jailers can be frustrating if you don’t know exactly what to ask. And the jailers can get just as frustrated with you too. Plus, just when you think you might be getting somewhere, a shift change can come along and set you back again.
Some of the jails are very small. The jailers can’t always get to the phone to give information. Some of them also have to handle dispatch duties. If there’s a problem in the jail or even in the town, the one person who can help you might be unavailable for several minutes or even hours.
Our goal when you call is to help save you time and money. We want to get your person out fast. You shouldn’t have to wait to know exactly what’s going on. We’ll help clear it all up for you so you know exactly what’s happening every step of the way.
The Traylor Law Firm can help answer the question, “How Do Bail Bonds Work?” The Traylor Law Firm has been helping people with their criminal defense and Bail Bonds for over 20 years.
We provide writs and bonds for misdemeanors, felonies, DWI, drug possessions, thefts, assaults, fraud, credit card abuse, marijuana possession and more. Many times people are also held on warrants for unpaid tickets.
How to Handle Bail Bonds
The quickest way to get somebody out of jail is to post cash bonds. Cash bonds may be paid in full at the bond desk. However, county bonds usually have to be posted at the county jail. Sometimes the person posting the bond also has to “run” the bond back and forth for the inmate’s signature. However, cash bonds are also the most expensive way to bail somebody out as you have to have the full cash amount of the bonds up front. For those who do not have the full amount, bail bonds companies can assist.
The bond company will only charge a portion of the bond as their fee. For larger bonds, that fee is usually 10%. For smaller bonds it is a fixed rate. For instance, a $500 bond should cost about $175. This fee is called a premium. Unlike a cash bond, this fee is non-refundable. However, if your family member or loved one does not make all their court dates, the bond company will seek to recover more money from the cosigner or the person who signed for the bond.
You can check with the particular jail or their website for prisoner information or call us at 214-382-0900 and we’ll check for you. Please note that jailers, despite their good intentions, can give incorrect or misleading information. Having someone call who’s dealt with it all before and knows the difference can save a lot of time and stress.
Call 214-382-0900 24 hours.