Judges and Bail Bonds
When a criminal has to go to trial, there a process in courts in which the judge will set a bail amount. The bail amount is a financial guarantee of sorts that makes sure that the accused will show up in court for their trials, or any court ordered appointments. The bail amount will depend on a lot of factors.
The court needs to first make sure that the bail amount fits the crime that is being tried. The higher the degree of the offense, the more money that is required for bail. Another factor that will determine what the judge will set the bail amount at is the classification of the crime. The classification of the crime will either be a misdemeanor or a felony. Since misdemeanors are of a lower criminal class than felonies, a bail amount set for misdemeanors will be less than for felonies.
The judge also has to determine if the criminal is a flight risk, or if they would cause more harm in the community if they would be released out on bail. Again, if the criminal or the accused has committed a crime that is of a very dangerous nature, they would either have their bail set at a very high dollar amount, or the bail might even become denied.
Once the bail amount is set, the accused has to show up to all of their court ordered appointments. If they don’t show up, then they will owe the courts the financial amount set by the courts. Most of the time, the bail amount set is too high for the criminal or the accused to pay off. So the criminal or the accused will have to use the services of a bail bondsman.
The bail bondsman works with courts essentially to ensure that the bail amount will be paid. How this works is that the criminal or the accused will go to a bailbond company. They will have to sign an agreement that they will pay 10-15 percent of the set bail amount upfront, and the bail bond company will pay for the rest. It’s like a deposit for insurance, only bonds are insurance policies directed for payouts to the courts if the criminal or the defendant doesn’t show up to their appointment. The criminal or the accused won’t get their money back for the deposit.
People go after bail bonds because they want to experience freedom while they are waiting for trial. If the criminal or the accused doesn’t get a bail set, or if they can’t get a bail bond, they will have to wait in jail until their trial starts. Most of these people want to avoid jail in the first place, so they will do anything to stay out of jail for as long as possible. Getting a bail bond will help them to do this.
When the criminal or the accused is set free on bail, they can take care of any financial business that they might need to for their families. They can make sure things are okay at home, and that provisions are being made for their families. They can have the freedom to find a good attorney, instead of being appointed one by the courts that might not be sensitive to their case or their needs. There are many advantages for the criminal or the accused when they are able to be set free on bail.
Being set free on bail also prevents the criminal or the accused from serving undue jail sentences, especially if they’ve not been sentenced for their crime.
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Category: Legal
Keywords: bail bonds,judges,law,legal