When you are arrested, you will be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony. A bond will need to be paid to secure your release. The amount of the bond can be a set amount for the crime you are accused of committing, or you may have to see a judge to set the bond. Either way, the amount needed for you to be released may be more than what you or family members have on hand. This is when you need to contact a bail bondsman.
How to Post Bail
Sometimes you can be released on your own recognizance (OR). This means you do not have to put up any money. The judge feels that you can be trusted to show up for court. He or she will consider whether you have a criminal history. If you do and it is only a couple past minor crimes, you may qualify for an OR bond. If you have family and ties to the community, a job, and have shown up for court before when you were supposed to, this will all be taken into consideration for an OR bond.
Other times a surety bond may be required. This type of bond is used by people who cannot afford to pay the entire bail amount to be released from jail. For example, if bail is set at $5,000, the typical amount charged by a bail bondsman is 10% or $500. This money is not refundable. However, if the person can afford to pay the $5000, they will get this money back after their case is over, and they have made all required appearances in court.
A bail bondsman provides a valuable service for people who have been arrested. A bond allows them to be released to return to their job and contact an attorney to represent them. Spending time in jail could result in loss of income or even their job. This is why services such as Liberty Bail Bonds offer Adams county bail bonds.
The purpose of bail is to make certain the accused shows up for court. The eighth amendment states that bail amounts are not supposed to be “excessively high”. However, most people do not have $50,000 or more lying around to pay to be released from jail. For many people, staying in jail or a bail bond is often the only option.