Be Sure You Know What You Are Doing By Posting Bond And Bailing Someone Out
Posted on: 9 June 2016
Need to bail someone out of jail? Before you sign over your property, cash, or give your word that the defendant will be at subsequent court dates, there are a few things to know about bail bonds.
Before posting someone's bail bond, consider the following:
You may not need cash. Unless the bail is a cash bond, you probably won't need cash to bail someone out. Often times, depending on the amount of bail, you can put a piece of property up as collateral, in lieu of bond, to ensure the defendant shows up for subsequent court appearances. There is typically a $25 non-refundable service fee attached to all bonds.
Be sure they show up. By bailing someone out and signing a bond for their release, you are essentially ensuring that this individual will show up for their court date. If this person is not someone that lives with you, is related to you, or that you don't know very well, you may want to think twice about being the one to post their bail. If this person doesn't show, you could lose whatever cash bail, property, or collateral you have used to secure their release from jail.
Bonds are similar to loans. If you are short on cash, you may want to enlist a bail bondsman to help you get your loved one out of jail. These companies offer bail payments, set up similar to a loan and that could require collateral from the bondsman. If you don't make your payments, you will lose your collateral and be subject to the same type of repercussions as if you default on a loan from a bank.
You are responsible. It also doesn't look good for you if the person that you bail out goes and breaks the law or commits a crime, while they are out on bond. In fact, this could be reason for the court to revoke the bail, which may result in your loss of money or property- at least until the accused shows up for subsequent court proceedings determined by the judge.
Don't rush into bailing someone out of jail and take such decisions lightly; there is a lot riding on whether the defendant shows up to their court date later. If you still want to post someone else's bail bond, you may choose to work with a bondsman like Bail Bond BY Affordable Bonding who may loan you the money with some collateral or with high credit ratings. Be sure to read the terms of the bail before making yourself responsible for the defendant's actions as they wait for their court date.
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