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Wednesday, 23 May 2018

Understanding The Basics Of Surety Bonds

By Carolyn Stevens


Being arrested can be an expensive dilemma. Not only do you have to pay a fine and costs to the court. You also may be faced with paying an expensive bail amount to get out of jail. When your bank account is on zero and you have no extra cash at your disposal, you might wonder how you can get out of jail and satisfy the bail amount set by the court. Instead of sitting in jail until your next court appearance, you could raise the funds the same day with surety bonds.

The bond required to get you out of jail is usually around 10 percent of your bail amount. You will need to pay this amount in cash before the jail can release you and allow you to go home. Getting a bond is itself a legal arrangement that you must abide by carefully if you want to avoid being arrested. The company that puts up the money for you will require you to sign a legally binding contract first.

The foremost responsibility you have as a client involves appearing at all of your scheduled court dates. These dates can include the initial arraignment where you will be charged with whatever crime for which you have been arrested. It can also include the actual court date or trial during which your fate will be determined either by a judge or jury.

Failing to show up or simply leaving town while you are out on bond is a crime in and of itself. It is an offense that the courts call jumping bail. It is a felony and can result in you having an arrest warrant put out for you. The bail bondsman and any law enforcement officer can arrest you and take you back to jail for skipping out on your bond.

As long as you obey the terms of your contract, you can benefit from this arrangement. You typically will have the right to call for a bondsman immediately after you have been booked and processed into the jail. If you retain an attorney to represent you, you could even have your attorney make the phone call for you.

The cash may not be fronted without some type of collateral, however. Larger bond amounts typically need to be secured either with a house or car. You can also secure it with your earnings by agreeing to have a levy attached to them if you do not make your payments on time or if you skip out on bail. The assets will be liquidated or levied to pay the fronted cash amount.

It also can be liquidated in case you are jailed and have no opportunity to make payments on the amount fronted for you. You have no way of earning an income behind bars. The bondsman can sell off whatever it is you used to secure the bond and use that amount to settle your account.

Securing bonds to get out of jail is a legal process about which you may want to be aware. You will be held to certain legal obligations that cannot be reneged on or ignored. You can be bound to a contract that is enforceable in court and to the fullest extent in your state.




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