What is a Bail Bond and How do they Work?

 

What is a Bail Bond and How do they Work?

A bail bond is a type of surety bond provided by the bond companies to the defendant. It is a document wherein the defendant or the guilty party promises the court to pay a sum of money set by the court for bail and promises to show up at the court hearings against him if he is released on bail. The bail bond is provided to a person via the bail bondsman who works closely with the prisoner to get him out on bail. There are mainly two types of bail bonds i.e. criminal bail bond and civil bail bond.

What is a bail bondsman?

A bail bondsman is a bail bond agent or bond dealer who acts as a surety or property as bail for the appearance of a defendant in the court. The bail bondsman is mostly found in the United States and its former territory of the Philippines. A bail bondsman can be a person or agency or a company helping out prisoners to get out of the jail on bail until the court hearing dates and final decision. The bail bondsman is licensed by the authority to issue bail bonds to the defendants who are accused of any type of crime.

How does a bail bond work?

·         Bail is money or property deposited to the court providing the court surety of the return of the defendant to the court on the specific court hearing dates. It is an understanding between the court and the defendant that the defendant will return to the court on the given dates.

·         The main purpose of bail bonds is to ensure the return of the defendant to the court without the need of keeping them in custody.

·         The bail amount is determined by the court and the amount is generally high because it is meant to be the surety or promise of the return to the court. The bail amount is set high because to avoid the situation wherein the defendant would not show up in the court.

·         Allowing a person on bail completely depends upon the judge. The judge may or may not decide to provide bail to a person depending upon his criminal history and record. The bail is likely to be rejected when the defendant is a serious crime and can be a threat to society.

·         Once the bail is approved by the judge the defendant needs to pay the surety and a receipt will be provided to the defendant by the court or jail for the bail bond ensuring the bail was posted.

·         The defendant needs to show up in the court on the hearing dates. If the defendant fails to show up on the hearing dates an arrest warrant would be issued in his name and the court won’t return the bond amount. Ohio bail bo