From Around the Web: 20 Fabulous Infographics About Los Angeles County Bail Bonds
What Is a Bail Bond?
A bail bond is an settlement by a prison defendant to seem for trial or pay a sum of cash set by the court. The bail bond is cosigned by a bail bondsman, who fees the defendant a fee in return for guaranteeing the fee. The bail bond is a type of surety bond.
The business bail bond system exists only in the United States and the Philippines. In different countries, bail could entail a set of restrictions and conditions placed on prison defendants in return for his or her launch till their trial dates.
Key Takeaways
·A bail bond cosigned by a bail bondsmen is posted by a defendant in lieu of full cost of the bail set by the courtroom.
·The bail bond serves as surety that the defendant will appear for trial.
·Judges typically have huge latitude in setting bail quantities.
·Bail bondsmen usually charge 10% of the bail amount up front in return for his or her service and will cost further fees. Some states have put a cap of 8% on the quantity charged.
·The bail system is broadly seen as discriminatory to low-income defendant and contributing to the mass-incarceration of young African-American males.
How a Bail Bond Works
An individual who's charged with a criminal offense is typically given a bail listening to earlier than a decide. The amount of the bail is at the choose's discretion. A choose might deny bail altogether or set it at an astronomical level if the defendant is charged with a violent crime or appears prone to be a flight threat.
Judges usually have broad latitude in setting bail amounts, and typical quantities range by jurisdiction. A defendant charged with a nonviolent misdemeanor might see bail set at $500. follow this link Felony crime costs have correspondingly high bail, with $20,000 or extra not unusual.
The commercial bail bond system exists only within the United States and the Philippines.
As soon as the amount of the bail is set, the defendant's selections are to stay in jail until the charges are resolved at trial, to rearrange for a bail bond, or to pay the bail quantity in full until the case is resolved. In the final occasion, courts in some jurisdictions accept title to a house or different collateral of value in lieu of cash.
Bail bondsmen, additionally referred to as bail bond agents, provide written agreements to prison courts to pay the bail in full if the defendants whose appearances they assure fail to appear on their trial dates.
Bail bondsmen generally cost 10% of the bail amount up front in return for his or her service and should charge additional charges. Some states have put a cap of 8% on the amount charged.
The agent might also require a press release of creditworthiness or may demand that the defendant flip over collateral within the form of property or securities. Bail bondsmen generally accept most property of value, together with automobiles, jewellery, and homes in addition to stocks and bonds.
Once the bail or bail bond is delivered, the defendant is released until trial.
The Disadvantages of the Bail Bond System
The bail bond system has grow to be a part of the bigger debate over mass incarceration, particularly of younger African-American males, within the U.S.
The bail bond system is taken into account by many even within the legal occupation to be discriminatory, as it requires low-revenue defendants to stay in jail or scrape together a 10% money charge and the remainder of the bail-in collateral—even earlier than they stand trial for any crime. PrisonPolicy.org says that about 536,000 persons are being held in jails within the U.S. because they can not afford bail or a bail bondsman's providers.
Four states including Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, and Wisconsin have outlawed bail bondsmen and as an alternative require a 10% deposit on the bail amount to be lodged with the court. In 2018, California voted to get rid of cash bail requirements from its court system.