Bail Bondsman

Who can you turn to if you or one of your loved ones lands themselves on the wrong side of the law and ends up in jail? Well you could turn to a modern day loan shark - the bail bondsman to get you or your loved one out of jail. These individuals or corporations will pledge money or property to cover your bail until your court appearance.

How do you work with a bail bondsman?

• Find a bail bondsman:
  Typically they will be located close to the court house and/or jail. You can also find them in the phone book under bail bonds.


• Bail bondsman contract:
  Your or someone in your family will have to enter into a contract with a bail bondsman or bail agent. The bail agent then guarantees the court that the defendant will appear in court when required. In return, you will be charged a percentage of the bail amount (typically 10%.) and either you or the defendant must guarantee that you will bay the bail bond in full if the defendant does not appear in court.


• Posting the Bail Bond:
  Once an agreement has been reached, the bail bondsman will post a bond for the amount of the bail, to guarantee the defendant will return to court. At this point you or your loved one will be release from jail pending the court appearance.


• Skipping Bail:
  Should the defendant skip bail, the cosigner is immediately responsible for the full amount of the bail bond. If a skipped defendant is caught and arrested by the bail bondsman the cosigner will be responsible for all expenses incurred to capture the defendant. Obviously this can be very expensive so make sure that you trust the defendant that you are signing for.

Hopefully you or your family will never be in a position to use the services of a bail bondsman.