When a person is arrested for a crime, the legal system will usually allow them to post bail in order to leave jail until it is time for them to appear in court. Unfortunately, this is a part of the legal system that many people have a limited understanding about, and this can make it difficult to make informed decisions. Once the following couple of commonly asked questions about bail are answered, you will better understand the process.

What Can A Person Do If They Lack The Money For Bail?

It is an unfortunate reality that many individuals will lack the financial resources to be able to pay their bail in cash. When this is the case, it might be necessary to utilize the services of a bail bondsman. These individuals will issue you a bond for the amount of the bail. The jail will treat the bond as cash and release the defendant. However, it should be noted that you will be required to pay a fee in order to utilize these series. Typically, this fee will be a percentage of the total bail amount that is needed. Additionally, you will likely be required to submit collateral. This collateral is designed to protect the bondsman if the defendant fails to appear in court. When this occurs, the bondsman will be liable for paying the court the full bail amount, and requiring collateral can help to discourage individuals from fleeing while also defraying the costs when this does occur.

What Can You Use As Collateral?

When individuals learn that they will need to provide collateral before the bond will be issued, they are often unsure about what they can use as collateral and whether they'll get their property back. However, you should be relieved to learn that the collateral will be returned as long as the defendant makes their appearance in court. Additionally, bail bondsmen will usually accept a range of items as collateral. For example, these professionals are usually willing to accept titles to cars and property as collateral. Also, they may be willing to accept investment accounts and other liquid assets as the collateral. Talk to a bondsman at Bail Bond BY Affordable Bonding to find out what other types of collateral may be acceptable.

Understanding the way that a bail bonding service works as well as the types of collateral that they will accept can better prepare you to use these services if you ever need them.