Bail bonds are a sum of money or some form of property paid or bequeathed to the court in exchange for the right to release a criminal from pretrial detention. In cases where the defendant is unavailable to bequeath a bail bond to the court, the bond is signed by a bail bondsman or a bail guarantor and the bail guarantor collects the security money from the defendant in exchange for the security money.
A judge fixes bail bonds as a type of guarantee. If the defendant is unable to pay, he is permitted by the law to seek the help of a bail guarantor in the form of bail. To issue bail, the defendant is usually required to pay 10% of the bail to the client. Then, the bail bondsman will guarantee the remaining bail money in the form of collateral. If the defendant does not have sufficient mortgage rights, the bail bondsman is allowed to seek assistance from relatives and friends.
When the defendant appears in court after the court has finished hearing the case, the bail will be dissolved and the collateral which could be in the form of landed properties, cars, pieces of jewelry and others deemed fit by the court will be returned to the bail guarantor and he keeps 10% of the cash fee.
There are pros and cons to getting a bail bond. If the defendant fails to appear in court, the bail is confiscated, the court requires the payment of the remaining 90% of the bail and the bail guarantor will use the defendant’s collateral which could be landed properties, cars, pieces of jewelry e.t.c. to pay the remaining bail money to the court.
However, if the defendant can bequeath the bail bond totally, the full bond is returned to him at the end of the case.
The following are some types of bail bonds;
-CITATION RELEASES
Citation Releases are bonds that are only used for written legal references. They are only issued by the arresting officer. For a citation to be released, the citation must be paid in full. After payment, you will be free to use it. It is widely believed that citation releases are the simplest bail bonds available.
-CASH BAIL BONDS
Cash bail bonds as the name implies, are bail bonds paid in full in cash. Cash bail requires the defendants to be able to post or pay all the deposits set by the judge in the case. In most cases, cash bails serve as an impetus to ensure that the defendant attends all court hearings. If a defendant has enough cash to pay the bail, then getting out of jail can be easy. Once a defendant has successfully attended all the designated court dates and the case has been closed, the cash bail bond is returned.
-FEDERAL BAIL BONDS
A magistrate sets federal bail and can decide to release bail on federal criminal charges at his discretion. Experts say that oftentimes, due to the nature of federal crimes, the charges imposed may result in higher bail. They serve the same purpose as regular bonds but are used for federal crimes rather than regular criminal offenses or references.
-RECOGNIZANCE RELEASE
Recognizance release bond may be the second most favorable and pleasing type of bail as it is release granted at no cost. Only a signed written agreement to appear in court is required. A defendant is granted release on a trust basis and is free to wait at home for trial without paying any bail. Other conditions of bail remain the same, however. The judge can set conditions for the released defendant (for example, regular inspections with probation officials, and prohibit the use of drugs or alcohol), and order the arrest of defendants who fail to appear in court.
-SURETY BONDS
With a surety bond, when a person is arrested and bail is set by a judge, the defendant contacts a bail bondsman ( if he cannot pay the bond) who gives information on the financial obligation and pays the bond. The bail guarantor pays the entirety of the bail amount under the agreement that the defendant will pay them back in full. After this, the defendant is free to go under the assumption that will not default on showing up for all appointed court dates. Otherwise, they will be skipping bail, and the court will place a warrant for immediate arrest.