Thursday, November 11, 2010

Need to Make Bail? Your Attorney Can Help Before a Bail Bondsman Can


If you get arrested and charged with a crime, you will be required to post bail before the police will let you go.  A judge sets bail to guarantee that when the defendant is released, he or she will appear when required.  The more dangerous or more likely the person will flee, the higher the bail will be.

If you have an attorney, he or she can convince the judge to release you on your own recognizance, which means you're free to go without buying a bond or posting bail.  Since you'd be charged with a crime, you would need an attorney anyway, so this is the first step.

If you do need to post bail, you can do so by just paying up front.  When you return for your appearance, the court will give you the money back.  In cases where the bail is so high that you need to get a bail bondsman to help, you do so by paying the bondsman around 10% of the total bail amount (while securing the rest with collateral such as a car or a house).  When you return to court, the bondsman gets the all the bail money back and keeps your 10%. 

56 comments:

  1. I'm never sure: is it "bail out" or "bale out"?

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  2. the fun starts when u use the bondsman and never return or pay him

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  3. I've got a good standing with the jail here in my town, I always get PR bonded within hours of getting there. Not that I go to jail a lot or anything

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  4. good info, hope i never get put in jail

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  5. Guess that's what keeps Dog bounty hunter employed!

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  6. lol i never want to go to jail

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  7. guess il remember next time i need it

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  8. dang... never knew about them bail bonds. O.o

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  9. I hope I never need to get bailed out!

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  10. Just don't do anything illegal and you wont need to worry! lol

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  11. good info to know rather than having to go through it to learn it.

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  12. I posted bail once in NC with a 1985 Gibson Dreadnought acoustic. When I hired a lawyer a month later, he used the fact that the Justice O'the Peace accepted my guitar as bail to get me acquitted of the charge(DUI-and I was mos def drunk)

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  13. thankds for your support. showing some love

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  14. Good info...hopefully I never have to use it though :)

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  15. I hope I won't go to jail and have to pay bail D:

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  16. Good to know, I think next week I'll steal some stores and make some fights, lol

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  17. Important stuff to know, I wouldn't be able to pay a bail

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  18. This is good to know, even if I hope to never use it.

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  19. will my first call be a bail bonds or will the police and court set me up with a bailbonds man if I request it?

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  20. Some good money in being a bail bongsman then, you know, as in a bounty hunter. Keeping 10% sounds good mate !!

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  21. as usual, great post ! thanks for sharing :)

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  22. brilliant information
    I've discovered your blog just today but I already know that I will love your future posts

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  23. what sux hard is the fact that no matter what u, you are guilty until proven innocent and the bondsman doesnt care if you are acquitted, u do not get the money back.

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  24. Not planning on needing this advice, but good to know.

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  25. Ill remember this hoping Id never need to use it

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  26. You get the money BACK? Wow, this I didn't know.

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  27. I won't go to jail ever! I promess :P

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  28. i always wondered if you got that money back. thanks for the info!

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  29. I'd just rather not get in that situation...

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  30. yeah, then DOGG starts to hunt your ass. him and his fatass wife

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