The temporary release of an incarcerated offender after collateral is provided for the future court appearance of the offender, is known as bail.
More specifically, the money required for the release of the offender is referred to as bail. Without bail, a person under arrest will remain in custody for arraignment, trial, and custody. When bail is paid, it is typically paid by friends or relatives directly to the court or in most instances through a bail bond company.
Most of the time, bail money will be returned to the person who put up the money after the trial and is not dependent on the outcome either guilty or innocent. The only qualification for the return of the bail money is that the suspect must attend all court hearings and follows the instructions of the court to check in with a probation officer etc…Almost everyone in the state of California has the right to post bail. In very rare instances, bail will not be an option because of the nature of the crime.
Sometimes the court releases prisoners without the requirement of bail. These instances are typically referred to as “released on their own recognizance.” This occurs most often when it is apparent to the court that the accused is a stable and trustworthy individual who will appear in court to face the charges against them.
Most often, when someone is arrested and accused of a crime, they will need to post bail in order to obtain release from incarceration. Bail can be posted by anyone possessing the ability, or if the funds are not available a bail bonds agency can extend the bail as somewhat of a middleman. A bail bond issued by a bail bond company is known as surety.
Once the bail bondsman pays the bail fee, a 10% fee is charged to the client. 10% is a California State regulated amount. The bail bondsman only collects payment once the trial is complete. Occasionally, the court takes 10% if a bail bonds company is not used. Clients must agree to show up to court and be present at all legal proceedings. Should a client fail to attend any legal proceedings, additional fees will be applied to the bill.
Should a suspect fail to attend a trial or show up for a legal proceeding, bail bond companies will hire a bounty hunter to locate the suspect. Bounty Hunters locate people who may have skipped out on their court appearance or “jumped bail.” The bounty hunter will return the suspect into custody. Should a client jump bail, the fees will reflect the cost used to employ the bounty hunter and thus it proves expensive for the client.
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