Top 5 Questions you must ask a Bail Bond Company

How much does the bail cost?

The price the bail bonds company charges is legally mandated state-to-state. Usually, it is 8-15% of the total bail amount set by the court. This amount is set by the state only, which is more than the average person can pay.

How long is the process to get someone released from jail?

The amount of time the accused has to spend in jail depends on numerous variables. Anyone with previous charges on their record or who happens to be awaiting trial on pending charges may get to stay for a longer time. If arrested while awaiting trial on other charges, then also the accused will be held until the next court date, however, this varies from case to case.

The mere part a bonds company can control is the release process and documentation. With their experience, the bondsman can get a pretty accurate time frame of when the accused will be released.

What is the Bail Bond Process?

Typically, it is a friend, relative, or loved one who makes the first contact with a bail bond company on behalf of the defendant. Before initiating the process, the bond agents ask for some basic information for the arrested individuals in order to assess the risk factor involved in the bond. This covers the personal information, arrest details, and the amount of bail set by the court.

The next step is to arrange payment and complete bond documents including a bail bond application, indemnity agreement, and receipt. Once all the legal formalities are completed, the bond company will then post the bail and the defendant will be released in some hours, depending on the state.

What is collateral?

Collateral is usually provided by the near ones of the defendant. The term adds financial security to ensure that the defendant appears in court when supposed to. It can be anything of financial value including jewelry, vehicle, real estate, and anything that is legally pledged to back up the promise that the defendant will appear for the scheduled court dates.

A bail bond is a guarantee between the court and the bail bonds company. The bond acts as a surety that the accused will appear in court for the scheduled dates. If the defendant fails to come to court, then the bail bonds company is held responsible for paying the bail amount. This is the reason bail bond companies usually seek collateral for high bail amounts, however, low-cost bail amounts do not require collateral.

What are the responsibilities of the Indemnitor?

Essentially, there are three parties who are responsible for making sure the accused makes all of the court dates, the defendant, the Indemnitor, and the bail bonds company. Indemnitor is an individual who provides an indemnity for the designated applicant.

When the bail bonds company prepares paperwork to bail out the defendant, they almost need an indemnitor. This is the person who will be signing and ultimately taking responsibility for the defendant. Because of the responsibilities to the court, the bail bonds company in some cases requires an indemnitor. In case the defendant and indemnitor skip and leave the country, the bail bonds company will be ultimately responsible to pay the entire bail bonds cost.

Just remember that the bond process varies from state to state, however, asking some of the questions will help you make the right choice when you are in a difficult situation and may not be thinking clearly.

PDQ Bail Bond is the most trusted source for bail bonds assistance and is backed by industry experts. We are dedicated to helping individuals in need of bail throughout Denver, CO.