You are sitting at home on a relaxing evening when your phone rings. You answer the phone to an automated message saying that you are receiving a call from the county jail. After accepting, you are joined with a close friend or family member that has been arrested and needs your help posting bail. After hearing this news, your head is rushing with questions and worry, but as the initial shock sets in, you pull yourself together to figure out the important information you need to know to help them post bail and get out of jail fast!
We get it, getting a call from a loved one who has been arrested can come at the least expected time. When they rely on you to help them with posting bail and you accept, you typically have two options to come up with the right amount of money. You either can make a large withdrawal from your personal bank account or you can contact a bail bond company to come up with the amount. Both options will help get your loved one out of jail, but which is the best option? Below, we share a few scenarios where working with a bail bond company is the best option.
1. You Are Unable To Pay For The Entire Bail Amount
When it comes to the standard bail amounts in Virginia, you will find there is quite a difference. In most cases, bail for felonies begins around five grand and bail for a misdemeanor often is placed around one thousand dollars. The charge that led to the arrest, as well as previous criminal background and other factors play a role in determining the bail amount. The court often uses standard bail amounts to match the severity of the associated crime. The objective is to ensure that the bail amount imposes enough of a hardship that the person charged with the crime has a motivation to show up in court after being released.
Keep in mind, using your own money to post the full bail amount creates the risk of not getting the entire amount back post-trial — the judge on the case reserves the right to use the fees to be put towards fees and restitution. If you don’t have sufficient funds to cover the bail, you should contact a bail bond company. As opposed to paying the whole bail upfront, you pay only a percentage of the bail as a fee. In return, the bail bond company posts the full bail and assumes the responsibility for ensuring that the charged person appears for their court date. In addition to taking cash, the best bail bond companies will accept credit cards or offer financing plans to make the payments more attainable. If you choose to work with a bail bond company, You set up a payment schedule for the bail company’s fee, and they post the full bail amount right away so your friend or family member gets released from jail.
2. You Have Other Upcoming Expenses Or Purchases
Saving money takes a lot of effort and will power. Maybe you are saving for a new place or trip across Europe. Or maybe you are saving your cash to be put towards larger upcoming expenses. Whatever the reason, nothing can ruin your money-saving efforts quite like an unexpected bail bond payment. Additionally, you want to avoid the risk of permanently losing the savings you put towards their bail, if the charged person fails to appear in court. If you ask a bail bond company to post bail instead, you can hold on to the majority of your savings and pay only a one-time, reasonable fee.
3. You Don’t Want To Use Personal Property As Collateral
In most bail situations, the cash used to pay bail is considered collateral. Collateral can be any valuable item that is used to secure a transaction between two parties. In the case of bail, the bail bonds company uses the money put towards bail as collateral. In return, the charged person gets released from jail. The charged person can get the collateral back by appearing in court on the set date.You may be aware that you can use assets other than cash as collateral for bail. Bail bond companies in many states will accept items like vehicles, houses, and land. Keep in mind, using these items as collateral for bail gives the bail bondsman the right to take ownership of the property if the charged person fails to appear in court.
The three reasons above are enough to work with a bail bond company when you need to get someone out of jail fast. If you need bail bonds in Danville, contact Affordable Bail Bonding. Our experienced, non-judgemental bail bondsmen have helped many people quickly get the bail bonds they need. To learn more, contact us!