One of the primary concerns of an individual who is in jail after being arrested is how they’ll get out. This is sometimes done without any effort on their part, but there are times when the person must post bail.
Bail is set by the court. In some cases, the court presets bail at specific amounts for specific charges. In other cases, the individual may have a bail hearing so the court can set a custom bail.
When the court sets a bail amount, it must set it in an amount that’s considered reasonable, but even then, the individual may not have the cash available. It’s often possible for the individual to post bail using assets that are equal to the bail the court set; however, the court will sometimes require cash only.
What happens if a person can’t post bail?
If a person doesn’t have the money to post bail, they may choose to remain in jail. The other option that’s sometimes possible is to work with a bail bondsman. A bail bondsman is a person or company that will post a bond with the court to secure a person’s release from jail. In exchange for doing that, the person has to give the bondsman a percentage of the bail, typically 10%.
When a person works with a bondsman, the bondsman is responsible for ensuring the individual appears in court. If the person doesn’t use a bondsman, they must appear at all hearings, or they will have to forfeit the money or assets they put up to secure their release.
Throughout the criminal case, the defendant should ensure they know their rights. Working with someone who can assist with this at every step is beneficial.