Flexible payments

FAST

Compassion

According to the rules of the US legal system, any person who is arrested for an offense may be held in jail pending their court appearance. It could be possible for them to be granted bail until the trial begins.

 

It can be a traumatic experience for the defendant, their family and friends when they get arrested. Nobody likes the thought of spending time in jail, and when there is a possibility that they can get bail, they tend to get that sorted out as soon as possible.

 

Smart Choice Bail Bonds Downey in California has people who are able to get defendants released in a short period of time. Their years of experience helping people who offended, prove that they can handle the mounds of paperwork and other inns and outs that go with getting bail.

 

Understanding Bail

 

Because of the courts being busy, there can be a rather long delay between being arrested and appearing in court for the first time. The Bail Bonds system was first introduced to provide defendants with a way of being released while they are waiting to appear in court. The defendant will need to pledge a certain amount of money, which they will forfeit if they do not appear in the court on the day they need to. There are some instances where defendants can be released without having to pledge any money, but this does not often happen.

 

How much money has to be paid for bail?

 

The amount of money that needs to be paid depends on the crime that has been committed and a number of other circumstances. The bail required for some minor crimes could sometimes be substantial, and most people are not able to raise that type of cash from their own assets. Using your assets to put up for bail is always risky and you should think twice before taking this road.

 

This is where reputable companies (bail bonds) can help many defendants. These companies have enough assets to make sure that the amount set by the judge will be handed over to them if the defendant does not appear in court when they should. Bail bonds normally have to be guaranteed by a relative or friend. The person who agrees, will need to refund the company the total amount if the defendant defaults.

 

Bail bond fees for agencies

 

Bail bonding agencies will charge a fee for supplying the money to put up for bail. The average amount that you will be expected to pay is 10% of the amount that the judge sets as bail. The agencies will expect you to pay this amount upfront before they will pay the bail money. So, if the judge sets bail at $10,000, the amount that will need to be paid to the bail bond agency will then be $1,000.

 

You need to take note that the 10% fee that you pay to the bail bond agency is non-refundable. You should think of the fee as the interest that you will be paying on a loan. Even if a loan is paid back in full, the person who took out the loan will not get their interest back. The bail bonds agencies will be refunded the bail amount in the event that the defendant does appear in court on the stipulated trial date.

 

Can bail be denied?

 

The final decision is that of the judge and only they have the ability to grant or deny bail. The more serious the crime, the less chance that a person will be granted bail. In cases where a person has been charged with murder and more serious crimes, most judges will not be happy to grant bail to these types of offenders.

 

Every case is treated separately and some people who have been charged with murder have actually been granted bail in the past. The amount of bail that is set for someone who is accused of murder is usually in excess of $1 million, which is normally very difficult to raise.

 

Certain judges might even deny bail in cases that are not regarded as very serious crimes. The judge might consider certain people to be a risk and will therefore not grant them bail, even if they are charged with a minor crime.

 

Judges could come to this conclusion if the person who is being charged is a vagrant, a foreigner or if they are know for not appearing in court. If a judge believes that the accused might commit further offenses while out on bail, they might also deny bail.

 

Should the prosecution not be happy with the decision to grant bail, that will also be taken into account by the judge. Prosecutors might feel that a defendant could try to influence or threaten witnesses in the case.

 

Being a guarantor - what it means

 

You do not want to take this lightly, mainly because of the fact that you will be responsible for paying the bail if the person does not show up for court.

 

Bail bonds agencies have the power to track down and detain offenders who do not appear for their hearings. They often have more power than the police in this regard. You should let the Smart Choice Bail Bonds Downey know if you have any doubts or worries regarding the defendant.

 

You might have to put up some form of security in order to get bail. Some people have been known to put their houses up for security, but this is very risky, as they could very well lose their home if the defendant does not get found.

 

Smart Choice Bail Bonds Downey tries their very best to protect the guarantor, and the agency does everything that can can to bring the defendant to justice. By working as close as you can with Smart Choice Bail Bonds Downey, you can avoid the stress of having to pay at the end of the day.

 

Further information

 

Everyone at Smart Choice Bail Bonds Downey are happy to deal with any questions that you may have. You may give us a call 24/7 so that we may assist you to the best of our ability. One that is for sure - you can bank on getting the best service from the folks at Smart Choice Bail Bonds Downey. Put your money in a safe place and rest in peace at night!