Bail Bondsman in Los Angeles Explained in Instagram Photos
What Is a Bail Bond?
A bail bond is an agreement by a criminal defendant to seem for trial or pay a sum of cash set by the courtroom. The bail bond is cosigned by a bail bondsman, who prices the defendant a payment in return for guaranteeing the fee. The bail bond is a type of surety bond.
The business bail bond system exists solely in the United States and the Philippines. In other nations, bail could entail a set of restrictions and conditions positioned on prison defendants in return for their launch till their trial dates.
Key Takeaways
·A bail bond cosigned by a bail bondsmen is posted by a defendant in lieu of full payment of the bail set by the courtroom.
·The bail bond serves as surety that the defendant will seem for trial.
·Judges usually have broad latitude in setting bail amounts.
·Bail bondsmen usually cost 10% of the bail amount up front in return for his or her service and will charge further charges. Some states have put a cap of 8% on the amount charged.
·The bail system is extensively considered as discriminatory to low-income defendant and contributing to the mass-incarceration of young African-American males.
How a Bail Bond Works
An individual who's charged with a crime is typically given a bail hearing earlier than a choose. The amount of the bail is at the choose's discretion. A judge might deny bail altogether or set it at an astronomical degree if the defendant is charged with a violent crime or seems prone to be a flight threat.
Judges typically have wide latitude in setting bail amounts, and typical amounts range by jurisdiction. A defendant charged with a nonviolent misdemeanor may see bail set at $500. Felony crime costs have correspondingly excessive bail, with $20,000 or extra not unusual.
The commercial bail bond system exists solely within the United States and the Philippines.
Once the amount of the bail is about, the defendant's Check out here selections are to remain in jail until the fees are resolved at trial, to rearrange for a bail bond, or to pay the bail quantity in full till the case is resolved. Within the last instance, courts in some jurisdictions accept title to a home or other collateral of worth in lieu of money.
Bail bondsmen, additionally known as bail bond brokers, present written agreements to criminal courts to pay the bail in full if the defendants whose appearances they guarantee fail to appear on their trial dates.
Bail bondsmen generally charge 10% of the bail quantity up entrance in return for his or her service and should cost extra charges. Some states have put a cap of eight% on the quantity charged.
The agent can also require a press release of creditworthiness or might demand that the defendant flip over collateral within the type of property or securities. Bail bondsmen typically settle for most property of worth, including cars, jewelry, and houses as well as stocks and bonds.
Once the bail or bail bond is delivered, the defendant is launched till trial.
The Disadvantages of the Bail Bond System
The bail bond system has change into a part of the bigger debate over mass incarceration, particularly of younger African-American males, in the U.S.
The bail bond system is considered by many even in the legal profession to be discriminatory, as it requires low-earnings defendants to remain in jail or scrape collectively a ten% money charge and the remainder of the bail-in collateral—even before they stand trial for any crime. PrisonPolicy.org says that about 536,000 people are being held in jails in the U.S. because they cannot afford bail or a bail bondsman's services.
Four states including Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, and Wisconsin have outlawed bail bondsmen and instead require a ten% deposit on the bail quantity to be lodged with the court docket. In 2018, California voted to remove money bail necessities from its courtroom system.