If you or another person are arrested, you will be seen by a judge and in many cases will have a bail amount set for you. Bail is a specific amount of money that will allow you to be released from jail, usually with some conditions, and return to your home. Depending on the nature and severity of the crime you have been charged with, bail costs can range from reasonably low to extremely high. Bail acts essentially as an extra layer of security that is guaranteeing you’ll show up for all court dates you may have, as well as adhere to any conditions attached to your release. When these obligations are fulfilled, the bail money is returned to you, which is reason enough to follow through. But regardless of the amount of your bail, you may not be able to pay it yourself. You could try to ask family or friends, but they may not be able to come up with the full amount either. This is where a bail bonds company comes in.
A bail bonds company is in the business of providing bail money to those who cannot come up with it themselves. This, of course, is not a free service or something they do out of the goodness of their hearts. You will still have to pay for this service, generally 10% of the bail cost up front, which is the fee that the bailbondsman charges for paying the courts your bail money. This fee will not be returned to you, as it’s how the company makes money. And by paying your bail, the bail bonds company is basically assuming responsibility for you and assuring the court that you will show up to your court dates and adhere to any conditions that may have been attached to your release. If this happens, the bail money paid is then returned to the company and all is well.
If you fail to do what is required of you, the bail money will not be returned to the bail bonds company, and if this happens they are free to pursue you with legal actions, such as a lawsuit. And if this ends up happening, you are not only still having to deal with your previous charges plus possible warrants for failing to appear in court—which could lead to additional charges—but you’ll also be handed a whole new set of problems if you’re sued by the bail bonds company. You’ll have become legally obligated to repay them yourself since they were unable to have their money returned by the court.
In the end, if you find yourself in need of bail money and turn to a bail bonds company in Dekalb County for help, always fulfill your end of the bargain in order to make dealing with the charges against you easier, as well as not having the bondsman come after you for repayment.
