The different types of bail bonds

by | Jun 11, 2015 | Law Services

Top Stories

Categories

Archives

When an individual is arrested on the suspicion of a crime, the police officer making the arrest informs the individual what offense he is being arrested for and the officer reads the accused his or her Miranda Rights. The Miranda Rights specify to the accused what the options are; that he will be given a court appointed lawyer if he cannot afford one and that anything he says can and will be used in court. Once the arrest has been made, the accused is taken to a police station and booked. Once he has been booked, he is placed in a detention cell. It is at this stage when emergency bail bonds in Mason City Iowa often come into the picture.

A bail bond agency is an integral part of the bail process that the accused is offered. Depending on the severity of the crime, bail will be set; the amount will usually reflect the crime, the circumstances and the criminal history of the accused, if any.

Types of bail:

There are a couple of ways to raise bail, one of which requires the intervention of a bail bond agency. The most common type of bail is cash.

Cash:

Cash bail is when the accused can and does pay the amount set in cash. This is usually the case when the crime is a misdemeanor and the amount of bail is pre-set. Often the form of payment can be credit card or personal check.

Surety Bond:

A surety bond is often just called a bail bond; this bond can be used for any amount of bail set by the judge. Emergency bail bonds in Mason City Iowa are used when the accused cannot raise the bail amount in cash by himself. Normally, a bail bond agency is contacted by a family member or friend.

The bondsman is supported by insurance that guarantees to pay the bail amount in the event the accused does not appear in court when instructed. For this service, the bondsman charges a fee of approximately 10% of the face value of the bond. In most cases, especially when the amount is significant, the bondsman will take collateral to cover all or part of the amount; the collateral can be the title to a car, house, boat or jewelry.

A bondsman is more apt to offer the surety bond when asked to do so by a friend or relative of the accused. The thinking is that the accused will feel compelled to make the court appearance as scheduled because the friend probably is the one who put up the collateral and paid the fee.

The bondsman?s bond is at stake and if the defendant jumps bail, it is the bondsman who is responsible for paying the entire bail amount. To recover the amount, the bondsman may hire a bounty hunter to find the accused and bring him back to court.

If you need emergency bail bonds in Mason City Iowa you are invited to get in touch with Liberty Bail Bonds. Liberty Bail Bonds provides fast and effective bail bond service that lets you return to your daily life as quickly as possible.