When you get arrested, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time in jail waiting for your trial. In most cases, people who are arrested are put before a judge as soon as possible for an initial hearing. In some cases, a judge will decide bail at that hearing and then the defendant can go through the process of posting bail. But it could be a day or two before a judge makes a ruling on bail. If bail is denied, then the defendant must remain in jail until their trial. But if bail is approved, then the application process begins.
Finding A Bail Bondsman
If bail is set at an amount that the defendant cannot pay all at once, then the defendant or their representative will find a bail bondsman. It is always best to have an attorney handle the transaction with a bail bondsman, but it is possible for the defendant or their representative (family member or friend) to talk to a bail bondsman themselves. If you are new to the idea of a bail bondsman, then you can ask someone at court or at the jail for a recommendation on a bail bondsman to use.
Filling Out The Application
A bail form can be filled out by the defendant or a representative the defendant has designated to sign for them. The designated representative also becomes a co-signer on the bond, which means that they become financially responsible for the bond if the defendant leaves town before their trial.
The form used by a bail bondsman will have a lot of questions on it that must be answered truthfully for the form to be processed. In some cases, there can be as many as 200 questions on a bail bond form.
Interview With The Bail Bondsman
After the application is submitted, the bail bondsman will want to do an interview with the defendant and the defendant’s appointed representative. The bondsman will want to know how the defendant or representative intend on paying for the bond, and the bondsman will ask other questions pertaining to the bond.
If the bail bondsman does not feel comfortable offering the bond, then they can reject the application. If the bail bondsman finds out that any of the questions on the application were answered incorrectly, then they will usually decline the application on the spot. If the interview goes well, then the defendant or their representative put down a deposit on the bail bond and the bond is granted.
What Happens After Bail Is Paid?
Once the bond has been approved, it is submitted to the court and the defendant is released into someone’s custody. When the defendant appears for their court date, the bond is then paid in full and the bail situation has been finalized. If the defendant does not show up for court, then the bail bondsman will usually hire a professional to retrieve the defendant and bring them back for trial.
If you are ever arrested, your best course of action is to tell the truth and secure a good bail bondsman. If you choose to try and evade the bail bondsman or the court system, you will only make your situation worse.