Hiring a Bail Bondsman

When it comes to know as how exactly do bail bonds work then it is usually done through a licensed bail bond agent. In case of absence of defendant from the court on the allotted time and date, the bail agent forfeits the money. There are two options to get bail. One is to pay cash bail. You need to pay the entire amount upfront and after completion of all the formalities, money will be refunded by deducting a small amount of fees and other costs. The rules of working of bail bonds differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and make sure to check out with the court clerk on the various modes of payments.

The second option is to go through bail bondsman. The bail bondsman may or may not require collateral depending upon the complexity of case and the history of the person who needs bail. They will post a bail and charges a fee for the service. The following paragraphs explain the working of bail bonds more clearly:

 After the arrest with pending trial

A bond is a surety or pledge of money or property that guarantees the presence of the defendant in court. The first court hearing takes place after the accused find guilty or not guilty. The bail amount is decided by the presiding judge. The bail amount cannot be paid before hearing takes place as the judge holds the power to decide the amount.

To whom to pay the bail amount

After the bail amount has been decided then it has to be paid out to the court clerk to get an individual out of the jail. In some cases, bail bondsmen, authorized third-party individuals are also allowed to take such payments on behalf of court. After this, the accused will get permission to get out from the jail till the trial begins in court.

Awaiting the Trial

The person who pays the bail amount ensures that he or she will report on time for trial as the bond guarantees the presence .If the defendant do not come for the trial then the amount paid for the bail will be lost and a bench warrant will be issued against the individual found guilty.

After the First hearing

After the first court hearing, the arrested person needs to clear the charges or fines against him and might need to serve additional time in jail. After this, the bond money can be claimed. Some of the states deduct a part of the bond amount as processing fees and in some cases, hiring a bonding company reduces or eliminates this fee completely.

Federal bail bonds are different from the typical or state bail bond. These bail bonds require additional duties by the bondsman and thus higher fees. These bonds are used for criminal cases in U.S District Court House.