Gaining and Maintaining Wealth for a Lifetime

Being arrested for any crime or offense that puts you in the custody of the police or a local jail can lead you to the need for hiring a bail bond agent. If you have charges pending against you, you will need to see the judge for an arraignment or pay a set bail for the crime before you get out of jail.

Bail Amounts

There are two ways that your bail is set. The first is to see the judge in a court arraignment, at which time the judge will set bail. The second is to have charges that have a fixed bond already in place. The first is typical because of the level of the charges, or if you may have more than one charge on you. The second is usually used for things like charges for being drunk and disorderly or fighting in public. 

If you have a fixed bond, you can call a bail bond agent or company and get them to come and pay your bail at any time of the day. A bond agent is typically on call for the company, and once they are called, they will come to the jail to meet with you and determine whether the company will take on your bond or not. 

Your Portion of the Bail

If you call a bail bond company to help you, they are more than likely going to ask for a percentage of the bail as a show of good faith. If you have a ten thousand dollar bail, they may ask you to pay a thousand dollars to them to show them that you are not going to flee as soon as you get out of jail. 

If you do not have the cash to pay the bond company, a family member can help you, but they may be the one that becomes responsible for you while you are out. This means that you will need to comply with all the terms of the bond or they could lose the money that they put up for your bail. 

Court Set Bail Amounts

If you must be arraigned before the bail is set, you will have to stay in jail until the court opens, and then the jail will transport you to court. Once there, the judge will listen to the charges and the testimony of the arresting officer and set your bail accordingly. 

Sometimes the judge will set a low bail because they believe you didn't mean to break the law, and other times it is set extremely high to keep you from trying to run and hide from law enforcement and the court. 

Contact a bail bonds company to learn more about how you can pay for bail.