Imagine this: it’s the middle of the night when you get a phone call from your son, daughter, or another family member. They tell you that they have been arrested and they need your help now. Your first instinct may be to help in any way that you can, including posting bail so they can get out of jail quickly. More often than not, this is the right thing to do, but not before you carefully consider your obligations after signing a bail bonds contract. Affordable Bail Bonding is your reliable source for affordable, fast bail bonds in South Boston and in today’s post, we’ll review your primary responsibilities as the person who posts bail for your loved one. Continue reading below to learn more.
Your Responsibilities When Posting Bail for a Loved One
Make Premium Payments On Time
In order for Affordable Bail Bonding to secure a bond to get your loved one out of jail, we collect a small portion of the total bail amount as our payment. This is referred to as the bail premium and it is typically 10% of the total bail amount. We know that not everyone can pay their full bail premium all at once, which is why we are happy to offer payment plans. If you decide to go this route, you must pay your premiums on time to avoid defaulting on the bail bond contract.
Encourage Them to Stay Out of Trouble
You want to do what you can to help them stay on the straight and narrow once your loved one is released on bail. If they had a job before they were arrested, encourage them to return to work as they normally would. If they had specific social obligations before their arrest, you want to encourage them to return to those. Staying out of trouble and being a productive member of society will bode well for your loved one when the court reviews their behavior after their release.
Make Sure They Attend Their Court Dates
This is one of the most important obligations that you have as someone who bails another person out of jail. Depending on the charges they are facing, your loved one will have one or more court dates that they are expected to attend. Missing any one of these court dates can cause big problems for your loved one’s case, including a bench warrant for their arrest, additional charges, and costly fines. Encourage your loved one to show up at their court dates no matter what.
Pay Applicable Fees If They Miss a Court Date
Your loved one isn’t the only one who faces repercussions if they miss one or more of their court dates. As the indemnitor, or the person who bailed them out of jail, you could also incur additional fees related to their absenteeism. This could include the cost of a recovery agent if the bail bondsman hires one to locate and detain your loved one so they can present themselves to the court. Most recovery agents charge between 5 and 10% of the total bail amount for their services, which can equate to a second bail premium payment for you.
Pay the Full Bail Amount If They Skip Bail
So, what happens if your loved one skips their court date and cannot be located by a recovery agent? In most instances, the indemnitor — that’s you — will be responsible for paying the court the full amount of bail that was originally set for your loved one. If you put up a car, jewelry, or any other tangible property as collateral, you stand to lose those items as the court lays claim to them to cover a portion of the bail. As you can see, posting bail for your loved one is a serious decision that should not be made lightly.
Need Affordable, Fast Bail Bonds in South Boston?
When your loved one calls you from jail asking for help, you want to do what you can to help them, but not at your own expense. Affordable Bail Bonding is here to help walk you through the bail bond process, answering any questions that you may have every step of the way. If you have concerns about whether or not your loved one will stay out of trouble and attend all of their court dates, it is in everyone’s best interest to be transparent about this. Contact us today to learn more about how our affordable, fast bail bonds work so that you can feel confident in your choice to post bail for your loved one.