More About Bail and Bail Bonds
When someone is arrested for a crime, they are held in jail until their court date or until they are released on bail.
What is Bail?
Bail is a set amount of money that acts as insurance between the court and the person in jail (the defendant.) Defendants have the option to pay their bail in cash, but many cannot do this.
Since bail is often set for thousands of dollars, most defendants are financially unable to post bail by themselves. They seek help from a bail agent, or Bail Bondsman, who posts a Bail Bond for them.
What is a Bail Bond?
A Bail Bond is a type of surety bond provided by a surety bond company through a bail agent or Bail Bondsman that secures the release of a defendant from jail. There are two types of Bail Bonds:
Criminal Bail Bond: used in criminal cases and guarantees that a defendant appears for trial when called upon by the court and guarantees payment for any fines or penalties that are decided against the defendant.
Civil Bail Bond: used in civil cases and guarantee the payment of the debt, plus interest and costs, assessed against the defendant.