If you have a friend or relative that has recently been arrested, you may currently be facing the possibility of needing to bail them out of jail. However, if you have never been in this position before, you may be completely unsure of how to deal with the situation or what is expected of you. Get to know some of the important facts to keep in mind when you are bailing someone out of jail. Then, you can be sure you are doing what is best for you and for your loved one who is in trouble. 

You Will Be Guaranteeing Their Appearance in Court

One of the important things to keep in mind when you bail someone out of jail is that part of the bond agreement is that the defendant will appear at all court dates regarding the case brought against them. If they do not appear in court, there will be a warrant issued for their arrest. But on top of that, you will not get your bail money back if they do not appear in court. 

Not only will you not get any money back if the defendant does not appear in court, but the cost of bailing them out may go up. If they don't show up in court, no matter if you paid the bond in cash or went through a bail bonds service, you will be charged court fees and other costs that will be your responsibility to pay. As such, when you thought you were paying $300 to bail your loved one out, you may end up having to pay thousands. 

Make sure the defendant will show up in court when you bail them out. It is the only way to ensure your costs remain as low as possible when you bail your loved one out. 

Bail Bondsmen Can Help with the Costs

Bail bond services can be a great asset when you are thinking of bailing someone out of jail. Bail is generally set in the thousands of dollars. However, if you work with a bail bondsman, you will only have to pay 10 percent of that cost plus the bail bondsman's fee. This is a non-refundable payment. 

Bail bondsmen can also help if you do not have cash available for your 10 percent cost. They may take monthly payments on that amount if you put up collateral like a house or a car as an assurance that you will pay the money as promised. Just make sure you can afford the monthly payments before you put up your assets as collateral. You will be expected to pay or give up the collateral.

Now that you know a bit more about bailing someone out of jail, you can be sure you do the right thing for you and your loved one in this difficult situation. 

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