Most people do not even know what a bail bond is but you never know when knowledge on the subject will come in handy. A bail bond is a contract between the four parties involved: the bail bonding company, you (as a defendant), the co-signing party for your bail and the jurisdiction or court which holds your warrant. Both the bail agency and the co-signer will be held responsible for whether you (the defendant) make the required appearances in court. Bail bonds are not necessary for those who are arrested and able to make bail with their own money which may be the case but a bail is generally set by a court based upon the nature of the crime and whether or not a defendant is deemed to be a flight risk.

Attempting to escape from jail is not an intelligent option, and may lead to your being labeled a flight risk and not eligible for bail. If you have discovered there is a warrant out for your arrest, it may be helpful in reducing your bond amount to turn yourself in. In this position, do not hesitate to seek the advice of an attorney.

A bond is an assurance to the court system that you will show up to court as you are summoned. By making bail, it will become necessary to keep in touch with a bail agent as one of the terms of your release. Paying a bond is meant to give a defendant monetary incentive to show up to court and not to flee the area for another jurisdiction. To make money, a bail bond company charges a defendant a fee for posting the bond. This fee varies from place to place, but is often times set at 10 percent of the entire bond in the case of a felony. For example, if an agency posts a $100,000 bond for your release, you will owe them $10,000. The agency sees its $100,000 returned if you appear at all of your court dates, but you will not get back the $10,000 you must pay to the bondsman. A 20 percent charge is levied against those arrested for misdemeanor crimes. This means that you will pay the bondsman $400 for a $2,000 bond.

A bonding agency will want to verify that you do not skip out on any large amounts, so collateral may be required in the case of a hefty bail. Typically, the bondsman will require the co-signer to sign away any collateral they own that is equal in worth to the bail amount. Such collateral may include a home, boat or car. By skipping town, you would leave your co-signer responsible for the bail amount minus the fee you would owe the bondsman. For a bail amount of $100,000, you would owe $10,000 and the co-signer would be forced to fork over the other $90,000 in addition to any fees.

Of course, those who do not appear in court often end up paying for it later, so it is not only ideal for your co-signer that you show up for your scheduled appearances, it is in your best interest as well especially if you want to avoid returning to jail.

Author Bio: Stewart Wrighter has a son in law school who works closely with a Las Vegas bail bond firm as part of his training. He was very impressed with the professionalism at a Las Vegas bail bonds firm.

Category: Legal
Keywords: Las Vegas bail bond,Las Vegas bail bonds