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September 22, Bail Bonds USA.

Getting someone out of jail can be an expensive affair. Most people don’t have thousands of dollars just sitting around, ready to fork over when a loved one has been arrested. In many cases, people turn to a bail bondsman to cover this expense.

But what does a bail bondsman do exactly? How do they work and should you use one? What are your options when trying to get someone out of jail?

If you’re like me, when I think about a bail bondsman, I picture scenes from Jackie Brown—Max Cherry leading one suspect into the prison and taking another one out. Well, that, or Dogg the Bounty Hunter chasing someone through a motel parking lot.

But let’s be honest, both of these are products of entertainment. They don’t exactly present a full picture of the mechanics of the bail bond process. So let’s break it down a bit.

After an arrest, a judge will set an appropriate bail. The amount of the bail depends on a number of things like the defendant’s criminal record, the nature of the crime or crimes committed, and where the defendant lives, among other things.

In the American justice system, there is what’s called the presumption of innocence. In short, every person is considered innocent until proven guilty. This means that technically speaking the state shouldn’t be able to hold a person in prison before they’ve been officially convicted of a crime.

So until their court date, the person facing charges is still considered innocent in the eyes of the law, and thus has a right to their freedom. Of course, this is still America, and in America not much comes for free.

That’s where bail comes in. The judge may set bail, depending on a number of factors. Pay the posted bail amount, and the defendant goes free until their court date.

Bail works as a kind of deposit, ensuring that the accused will show up to their court date. If the bail is paid in full initially, then it will be returned upon completion of the defendant’s court requirements (minus court fees).

Of course, not a lot of people can just afford for drop thousands of dollars out of the blue.

Bail Bondsman Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The purpose of bail is to ensure that a person accused of a crime, who has been released from jail, will appear at all of their required court dates. It is a financial guarantee to the court.

A bail bondsman in Arizona typically charges a non-refundable fee, which is usually a percentage of the total bail amount set by the judge. This fee often ranges from 10% to 15% of the total bail. For example, if the bail is $10,000, the bondsman’s fee would be approximately $1,000 to $1,500.

If the defendant fails to appear, the bail bondsman is responsible for paying the full bail amount to the court. To avoid this loss, the bondsman has the authority to locate, arrest, and return the defendant to police custody. Additionally, any collateral (like property) used to secure the bond can be seized. #Bail Bonds Phoenix