Being arrested can be a scary experience, especially if it’s your first time in handcuffs. When you are arrested for a crime in the State of Texas, you most likely will be taken to and booked at a local police station. Then, you can expect to be incarceration in a law enforcement station lock-up or the county jail. Depending on the offense, the next step after being arrested and booked is that you may be given a few options for your release until a determined court date. This release is called bail. Bail is designed to guarantee the appearance of a defendant (you) in court at the time directed by the judge.
What is bail? A bail bond?
When a person is arrested, he or she may have the opportunity to pay bail. Bail is defined as the amount of money, a payment, that a person must post to the court in order to leave jail until trial and to assure the accused will appear in court and any future court dates. Don’t confuse the act of making bail as meaning paying your way out of jail! The person must also comply with any additional orders by the court. If allowed, an arrested person may put up property in place of cash.
The bond part of a bail bond is the actual promise of providing the money or property. However, many individuals faced with a criminal charge may not have the amount of money or property required by the court. This is when Brazoria County Bail Bonds in Angleton may be a valuable resource to you. Regardless if the defendant, the defendant’s family or friends, or a professional bail bond agent carries out a document with the promise to forfeit the determined sum of money if the defendant fails to return for the trial date. This amount of money is usually set based on the alleged offense.
What is the basic bail bond process?
There are several factors and steps that come together as you work your way through the bail bond process. Basically, a bail bond service will collect some personal and general information regarding your situation and alleged crime, such as your current residence and employment, the jail you are being held at, and what the charges are. This information is needed in order to assess the risk factor involved in the bond they may be posting for you.
Your state, or the state you were arrested in, will also require payment to be arranged, a bail bond application to be filled out, and the completion of other bond documents, like an indemnity agreement and receipt. The bondsman needs to be able to prove to the court that they can find you, the defendant, if necessary. After all documents are complete, the bond company then posts bail at the jail and you are released.
A professional bail bond company like Brazoria County Bail Bonds in Angleton will be able to explain how the bail bond process works in the simplest way possible.