One of the things that people always say about the law is it never sleeps. Upholding it is never delayed in most cases, which is why some warrants of arrest are delivered in the most ungodly hours (perhaps, this is the best strategy to go with because the accused would not have time to flee). Most accused individuals will not readily agree to detention time and will choose to post bail; their families would come up with the amount of money set by the judge for bail as a form of agreement that the defendant (or accused) will stay out of jail, but will make all scheduled appearances until the end of the trial.
Now, for those defendants who do not have the financial resources to pay for the amount that the judge had set for bail, one solution to the question of how to bail out of jail is a bail bond. This is a bail option wherein the services of a bail bondsman are used to post a bond with the court to ensure the release of the defendant in lieu of money. If this is the only option a defendant has, it’s crucial to find a really good and reputable bail bonds company to help.
Bail bonds companies may charge the same amount, but each one operates quite differently from the other. Being armed with the right questions can make selection easier, though; but what are the right or most important questions to ask? Provided below are the top three.
1. How long has the company been around? There’s no arguing that experience is essential for this important and sensitive responsibility; companies that have been around a really long time already have an established system of providing the service and they can be trusted to have their client released in the quickest and most efficient way.
2. Will they require clients to deposit collateral? Collateral, whether in the form of a lien on property or a lump sum of money, is one way of minimizing the inherent risks of the bondsman’s participation in the proceeding. It has to be returned in full, however, to the defendant, when the trial has ended (that is if the bondsman incurred expenses due to his role). There are bail bond companies that require this for all cases, while there are others that just demand it under particular circumstances, like if the bail set by the judge is really high. It’s important to know the company’s requirements and the different types of collateral they accept.
3. How quickly can they perform their services? It’s not only that bondsmen know the routes to take in posting bail, but their time-flexibility is just as important. The goal is always to have the defendant released as soon as possible. So, those bail bond companies that halt their services over the weekend or only stick to their day hours may not be the best choices.