A bail bond is a contract where the criminal defendants emerge for trial or pay for an amount decided by the court. The bail bondsman cosigns the bond and charges the defendant a service fee in return for guaranteeing the payment. It is a type of surety bond which serves as the surety that the accused will surely appear for trial.
Key Features of the Bail Bonds
- Bail bondsmen generally charge 10% of the bail amount in return for their services. Some bondsmen may charge additional charges in return for their services. Some states also put a cap of 8% on the total amount charged.
- Judges will have wide latitude for settling the amounts of the bail
- The bail bonds are posted by the defendant and cosigned by the bail bondmen in return for the entire payment set by the court
- They act as surety for the defendant that they will appear for trial
- The low-income defendant generally goes for bail bonds as they do not have a huge amount of liquid money when asked for.
How Do the Bail Bonds Work?
Judge’s Discretion-The accused person will be given a hearing bail in front of the judge. Different judges may demand different amounts and it is totally at the discretion of the judge. The judge can even deny the bail altogether, or may set a charge to a sky limit if there are flight risks or the accused has been charged with a violent crime.
Wide Range of Bail Amount– The bail amounts may vary in different jurisdictions and generally have wide latitude. A non-violent crime may get bailed at $500 but violent crimes may result in $20000 or more. You may follow this link to know more about the ranges of bail bonds in Hartford County locations.
Options after the Bail Amount Set– After the bail amount is set, the defendant have different options to exercise. They may arrange for the bail bonds, remain in jail till the case gets resolved in trials, and pay the bail amount in full till the case is resolved.
Collateral Property– An agent may require a creditworthiness statement or may ask for collateral in the form of securities or property. The bail bondsmen usually accept jewelry, cars, stocks, bonds, houses, and other valuable property as a form of security.
Charges– The bail bondsmen generally charge 10% of the total bail amount. Some bondsmen may also charge additional fees and may put a cap of 8% on the total amount charged.
Provide Written Agreements– Bond agents or the bail bondmen provide written agreements for paying the full amount of bail to the criminal courts. When the defendants do not appear in court, the bond agents need to pay the entire amount to the company.
Conclusion
This article describes bail bonds and how they function. The judge has full power in deciding the amount of the bail or whether there will be any bail or not. When the crime is very violent, the judge may ask for a huge amount of money or may deny the bail as there remains the risk of flight.
