If you or a loved one has been arrested for a crime, then you have a lot on your plate to worry about. In order to bring you peace of mind, you should learn about bail bonds and how they can be of use to you:
What is bail?
In order to understand what a bail bond is, you first need to know how bail works. After you have been officially accused of a crime, you will have a bail hearing at some point. At this hearing, the judge will set bail based on the severity of the crime. This bail will be a large sum of money which you may pay in order to leave the jail until the date that your trial officially begins. If you do not pay the bail, then you will have to stay in jail until the trial, which means that you could miss out on work or caring for your family.
Once you show up at the trial, you will get your money back. If you don't show up to your trial, then you forfeit the entire bail.
Unfortunately, bail is usually much higher than most people are able to pay out of pocket. Specific companies (known as bail bondsmen) exist to offer loans to cover bail.
What is a bail bond?
These are loans that are used for the explicit and exclusive purpose of covering bail. These can have varying interest rates depending on the size of the bail, how likely you are to pay the bond back, and how many times you have convicted in the past.
If you pay the bond back on time, then you will just be paying a small amount of interest. If you fail to pay the bond back for a few weeks, then the interest might build up to alarming levels. Finally, if you fail to pay the bond back at all (for instance you didn't show up to your court date so you forfeited bail), then you might be subject to additional criminal charges.
How do you get a bail bond?
In order to get a bail bond, you will need to contact a bail bondsman and reach an agreement. This can be somewhat difficult if you are already in jail, so you might need a family member to make the arrangements for you. If you suspect that you might need a bail bond in the future, then it can't hurt to save their contact information.
Many bail bondsmen have websites, but most will require that you visit the physical office in order to get a bail bond. Remember to compare interest rates between different bondsmen, including how large the interest will be initially and how quickly it will grow.
To get professional help with bail, contact a company such as Yusef Odeh Bail Bonds.
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