Should I Hire a Bonding Company or Pay Myself?
When a loved one is arrested, it is your natural instinct to do everything in your power to help them get out. In many cases, this means posting bail. When someone is arrested, the court sets the bail amount that must be paid to secure the person’s release from jail until their scheduled court date. You have two primary options for posting bail: working with a bonding company or paying the full amount yourself. Here’s what you need to know to decide which option is best for you.
Paying the Bail Yourself
If you choose to pay the bail on your own, you’ll be responsible for paying the full amount. Depending on the severity of the alleged crime, this amount can range from thousands to even millions of dollars. If you have the disposable income to afford this, then go right ahead and pay it. Once your friend shows up in court, you can get your money back. If you’re like most people, though, you likely won’t have the funds readily available to cover the full amount. In that case, it is better to go through a bail bonding company.
Working with a Bail Bond Company
When you go through a bail bond company, you’ll typically only have to pay about ten to fifteen percent of the bond amount. The bonding company then essentially gives you a loan for the remaining balance. Of course, this assumes that your friend shows up to court as scheduled. It is important to note that you won’t get your deposit back; the bail bond company will keep this amount as payment for their services.
Other Considerations
When posting bail for someone else, it is important to consider how trustworthy you believe the person to be. Paying the bail amount is akin to making a promise that your friend will show up in court when they are supposed to. If your friend fails to appear, you will lose all of the money you paid to get them out of jail in the first place. As hard as it is to think about when your friend is in trouble, you need to have confidence that they will go to court as agreed for your protection.
Get Your Friend Home Quickly
Here at Free at Last Bail Bonds, we are committed to helping families and friends reunite after an arrest. We’ll handle all of the details of posting the bail bond so that your friend can come home as quickly as possible. When you have a friend who has been arrested, don’t delay in getting in touch with us. The sooner you call, the sooner your friend can go home. Call now to get the bail bond process started.