Understanding the criminal justice system can be a bit complicated at times for trained lawyers, let alone for your average American who has never been through this process before. If you or a family member are facing the potential of a lengthy stint behind bars while you await a criminal trial, then you most likely will have the option to post bail. If you can't meet bail on your own, due to it being quite expensive, then you can turn to one of the many bail bond services out there to help you. Here is a simple, 3-step guide that should help you understand what to do.
Knowing The Amount
The first thing you need to know is that you cannot get out of custody at all before a bail hearing is held by the court. This can take a few hours or it could take days, but until that time you or your loved one will not be released. At this bail hearing you will have the opportunity to find out how much it will cost to release you or your loved one and what your conditions would be should you so choose to go down this route. Typically you would wait to meet with bail bond services before this has happened, although you can get preliminary paperwork done if you so wish.
Shopping Around
Once you understand how much bail is, you should take that and any other identifying information of your loved one or friend to a bail bonds service. There they will outline the terms and conditions that they expect you to follow and how much interest they will charge on top of the bail amount for their service. This is the amount that you should view as the final price and you can ask around to see how much other bail bond services are offering to see if you get a better deal. Once you sign it, however, this is a legally binding contract and virtually impossible to overturn so read all the fine print!
Signing The Deal And Obeying The Conditions
When you end up finding the bail bond services you like the best and sign on with them then your friend or loved one will be released. Bail bond services can take care of all the actual transition and submission of paperwork to the state. What you need to realize is now you have to obey the conditions set by both the state and your bail bonds service when it comes to payment plans and what you are and aren't allowed to do. If you don't follow the rules, your bail could be forfeited and you could be remanded into custody in hours. Bail bonds services are not a get-out-of-jail-free card, you still need to watch what you do and be respectful, but it is a valuable option for many Americans.
For more info, contact bail bonds services.
