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How Does a Bail Bond Work?

By: Bail House on Aug 15, 2024 12:27:50 PM

FAQ
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Most people have only heard of bail bonds through television ads and news reports. If you have ever asked what is bail and how does it work, you’ve come to the right place. Bail Bonds Roseville can give you an easy-to-understand explanation of bail bonds, bail services, and what to expect before, during and after bail is set.

It is important that you know how the bail bond process works. Bail Bonds Roseville wants you to know your rights before you need to. That is why we provide bail bond information for free and are available anytime to answer your questions. Knowing how bail bonds work may help you procure release from jail sooner, giving you much-needed space and time to seek legal counsel while also being able to provide for loved ones.

Bail Bonds Roseville provides 24-hour nationwide bail services. Should you have any questions regarding how bail bonds work while reading the bond information below, don’t hesitate to contact us any time. Our office is conveniently located just outside of Roseville, in Auburn across from the Placer County jail. We offer bail bond services in Roseville, Sacramento, Auburn, Placerville, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Truckee, Lake Wildwood, Rough & Ready, Alta Sierra, North San Juan, Lake of the Pines, Cedar Ridge and the outlying rural areas.

What is Bail?

This is a good place to start when asking how bail bonds work. After all, “what is bail” and “what is a bail bond” are questions you certainly don’t want to be asking behind bars.

Bail is a financial arrangement that a bail bonding agency will make on behalf of a criminal defendant. The purpose of the bail system is to guarantee the appearance of a criminal defendant in court. A bail bonding agency, like Bail Bonds Roseville, can arrange to have a suspect released from jail pending the trial in exchange for money or collateral, which may be cash, assets, or a bond. The court sets the monetary value of the bail and the bail bond agency can pay the amount in full or a percentage upfront and the rest at the arraignment. A bail bond, therefore, is a surety that the full bail amount will be paid if the criminal defendant does not appear in court on a set date. This is enough for many people to be sure to arrive on time for their court hearings.

The Bail Bond Process

Arrest and Booking: Pre Bail Services

When someone is arrested on suspicion of a crime, that person will be taken to jail for booking. The suspect will be searched for any weapons, have a mug shot taken, he or she will be fingerprinted, and asked for a statement. The suspect’s personal belongings are cataloged and retained and from that point, the suspect has no access to money, credit cards, or cell phones.

The booking process has many steps and can take anywhere from an hour to a few hours to complete. This often depends on the size of the jail and how busy the jail is. The booking process mostly consists of a background check, warrant check, and updating the computer system with the criminal charge and suspect information. Once the criminal defendant or suspect is “processed in” he or she is taken to a cell. This is usually when that infamous “one call” is given to the defendant and it is at this time he or she can request bail services directly from a bail bond agency or ask friends or family to pull together what is needed to post bail.

Acquiring a Bail Bond

A bail bond company is usually contacted by the defendant’s friend, relative, attorney, or the defendant themself. Bail services are not able to start, however, until the arrest and booking processes are complete. Once they are completed, the bail bond company will start by collecting basic information about the defendant’s situation. To assess the risk involved in the bail bond, most bondsmen ask questions such as where is the detainee being held, how long have they been there, what are the charges, where is their place of work, etc. If and only if there are no government holds on the defendant and the bail bond company determines there is little or no risk of the bailee not appearing in court on their appointed date, then the bail bond is made available for purchase.
The customer purchasing the bail bond will need to sign bail bond documents including the following:

 

  • A Bail Bond Application
  • A Bail Indemnity Agreement
  • A Receipt

Once the bail bond paperwork is finalized, a licensed bail bond agent will “post” the bail bond at the appropriate detention facility or jail that will result in the release of the defendant. From the time a customer first calls into a bail bond company for bail services to the release of the defendant, there is a wait time anywhere between about 20 minutes to two hours so the process of acquiring a bail bond is usually fairly quick. The quicker the better is what most bailees prefer. The experienced bail bonds agents at Bail Bonds Roseville do their best to get all the paperwork processed and finalized in a timely manner.

Call us today to get help.