Most people are not prepared to pay hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars at the drop of a hat.  Your Bail Bondsman exists to provide you an alternative to paying such a large amount of money out of your own pocket, in order to free your loved one from incarceration.

Your Bail Bondsman financially guarantees the court that he/she will pay the full 100% of your loved ones Bond, if he or she fails to appear in court as required.

When your loved one was arrested, he or she was taken before a court magistrate, judge or commissioner.  That court official is required to evaluate your loved ones commitment to appear for trial and/or their impact on the public at large if released.  That decision can sometimes be derived from the nature of your loved one’s charges, their state of residency, employment status or their previous record of court appearances.

The money that you pay to the Bondsman, sometimes referred to as “the premium”, is a nonrefundable fee that the Bondsman receives from you, for the consideration of putting his/her money at risk. Once your loved one is released from custody, the Bondsman has earned the full amount of the premium that he/she quoted to you (even if you have agreed to pay the premium over a period of time).

Once your loved one has been released from custody, the Bondsman has legally earned the FULL amount of the fee “or premium” that he/ she quoted to you. Therefore, even if he/she allows you to pay that FULL premium over time, the balance is not effected by the outcome of your loved one’s case. Failure to complete your payments as agreed could costs you much more money over time. The Bondsman is very likely to sue you, and that will add attorney fees, court costs, interest etc. In some instances, the Bondsman may even have the right to take possession of your personal property.

The bondman will review all the circumstances of your loved one’s bond. In some cases, he/she may determine that there is some elevated risk involved in guaranteeing that person’s bond, and as a result, the bondsman may want you to reduce his /her potential financial risk by requiring that you pledge collateral in the form of cash or real estate. The collateral that you pledge is typically returned to you in full, a few days after the defendant’s case is closed. However, if the defendant fails to appear for any scheduled court date, you may forfeit (lose) the collateral that you pledged.