Contrary to popular belief, understanding the bail bond process is quite simple. Of course there is going to be its share of legal print, but overall, it’s very understandable. We’ll go over the basics right now for you.
Question: What is a bail bond for?
Answer: A bail bond is a written promise that the defendant will pay a fixed amount of money for his or her release from jail. The fixed amount will be 10% of the full bail amount.
Question: Does the full fixed amount need to be paid up front before the defendant can be released?
Answer: No. The bail bond company will calculate a workable payment plan; the defendant will be released from jail and following that, payments on the bail bond will continue to be made.
Question: What are the contingencies?
Answer: The defendant is required to show up for all court dates. If the court has additional mandates, like attending counseling, staying away from someone or someplace, and not leaving the state, for example, the defendant will need to abide by these as well.
Question: What if they don’t?
Answer: The bail bond will be revoked and the defendant will be taken back into custody. In addition, the full bail amount may need to be paid off.
Question: Is the money refundable at the end of the trial, if my loved one obeyed all his or her orders?
Answer: No. Think of the fixed price for the bail bond as a fee for the bail bond services. But, most people use bail bonds to bail out of jail because in the long-term view, it is more affordable for them.
There is nothing wrong with using bail bonds (compared to cash bail) and you should never be ashamed of it. Louisiana Bail Bonds will happily assist you with your bail bonds needs and we’ll make sure to take care of you like one of our own.