Anyone that is in touch with society must have heard about someone being released for particular bail with a particular amount of money like five thousand dollars.
Once someone is arrested for a particular crime the person is kept in jail till the court date arrives unless the person can pay the bail given to him or her, which will serve as insurance between the defendant and the court.
Usually, only a select few individuals can pay the bails given to them and that’s usually the financially stable and rich individuals, but we both know that the people usually thrown into jail for different crimes are usually the average citizens who cannot afford the bail price given to them on a whim.
It’s important to note that about two-thirds of the people found in jail are not financially stable. Then now comes the question, if it’s basically only the rich individuals that can afford the bail price does that mean your average citizens will have to remain in jail till their court date reaches regardless of what they do those that mean our justice system is suited just for the rich and has no sympathy for the average citizens working from hand to mouth?
The answer is No. You don’t need to be frightened if you find yourself in such a situation there is still room made to maneuver out of this situation and this is where a bails bondsman comes in.
Who is a Bail Bondsman?
A bails bondsman is a person who provides bails bond for people that are charged with different crimes and do not have enough money to pay the bail. The bails bondsman provides money for the person’s bail and promises that the person will appear in court.
The meaning of Bail bonds that was previously used in this context is a surety bond provided by a surety bond company through the bail bondsman that enables the release of the defendant from jail.
The bail bondsman is commonly referred to as bounty hunters. If you want to have adequate information on how to make money as a bails bondsman or services offered by a bail bondsman then this article is definitely for you.
What Services are Offered by a Bail Bondsman?
The bails bondsman covers the full cost of the defendant’s bond in exchange for a small fee the person might be charged higher if the person is charged for a large crime or is more easily prone to get away and not appear at the date set by the court.
The amount charged by the bail bondsman is determined by the federal rules and the money is non-refundable, it doesn’t matter if the defendant appears during the court date or not.
If the defendant fails to appear for the court hearing the bail bondsman is forced to forfeit the bonds they pay.
If this happens the bail bondsman will severely search for the defendant and will give out a warrant for rearrest of the defendant and this even adds to the criminal charges of the defendant in addition to the old ones.
It’s important to note that Bail bonds agencies not only provide bails bonds services but also inmates searches, federal bonds, property bonds, cash bonds, Appeal bonds, State bonds, Notary services, jail information services, emergency bails bonds, and so on.
In a situation you are looking for an inmate a bails bonds agency can help with the information. It’s important to note that the bail boo agency provides the services cheaper than other organizations.
How Do Bail Bondsmen make Money?
After the judge posts bail and the defendant contacts the bails bondsman. The bail bondsman then charges the defendant or loved ones of the defendant a percentage of the charge this can be about 10 to 20% of the bails and is determined by the state laws.
The remaining 80 to 90% is secured by the bonds agent with collateral this will require the defendant to sign a contract forfeiting a part of their property should they skips bails.
The 10%-20% originally given will not be returned to the defendant it doesn’t matter if they appear in court or not.
The bails bondsman will take the 10% as payment for the bonds posted. An example of this is if Alexander is given bail of 10000 dollars but doesn’t have enough money at hand, Alexander then meets a bails bondsman the bails bondsman then explains to Alexander the process involved in getting a bail bond and that the bail agent will require a 10% fee as a charge that is 10% of 10000 dollars which is equivalent to 1000 dollars.
The 1000 dollars will not be returned to Alexander regardless of if Alexander appears for all the court hearings or not.
The 1000 dollars then serves as the fee paid to the bail bondsman. As much as these sounds easy and a fast way to make money be aware that there are a lot of risks involved in this and you need to keep in mind that you are dealing with dangerous individuals mostly, it’s an important skill to be able to identify people that are eligible to be given bonds.
What Skill is Needed to Become a Bails Bondsman?
If you are determined to work as a bail bondsman regardless of the risks involved then you need to know the skills required to become a Bail Bondsman it’s important to ask yourself if you are really ready for this and this is what you want, because you might be dealing with really dangerous criminals.
If you have already asked yourself this and you are sure this is what you want then I’ll now tell you the steps required to become a successful bails bondsman.
To become a Bail Bondsman you can’t just go and start meeting people in jails asking if they need bails and that you can provide them that’s a big no, you’ll probably be arrested if you try this.
That isn’t how to become a successful bails bondsman it’s important to keep in mind that bails bonds are part of the legal agency of the country so not just any category of people can jump into it.
To become a successful bails bondsman the most basic requirements needed are: First you must be at least 18 years or older.
You will also need to have at least a high school diploma or the GED equivalent. It’s important to take a bail bond pre-licensing course this will tell you everything you’ll need to know about the bails bonds state exam it will also teach you about your state’s bail bonds laws and practices.
The course will also provide you with the information needed to complete your licensing application.
The next step to becoming a bails bondsman is to pass the bail bonding license exams. The bails bondsman license exam can usually be retaken. You will now apply for your state license find a surety company you can trust and join them.
The next in line is to register your bails bondsman business and open a bails bondsman merchant account for easy processing of clients’ payments.
Apart from the necessary steps required to become a bail bondsman, there are also some natural qualities that a bail bondsman is supposed to have including patience, understanding of crimes, and many others.
It’s important you inculcate these skills in yourself because they are crucial in other to become a successful bail bondsman
How do I Get Bails Bonds?
There are necessary steps that need to be taken in order for you to get bails bonds for your loved ones, family, or friends. The first step is to contact a bails bonds agent or bails bondsman.
The bails bonds agent will require information from you which includes
- full name of the person arrested,
- jail they are placed in,
- booking number,
- the charges they are accused of, and even different information regarding the person arrested this information will need to be kept aside before contacting the bail bondsman for easy access.
The next step after that is to sign paperwork in other to secure the services of the bails bondsman in the process of signing the paperwork percentage of the total bail amount agreed is paid and subsequent collateral secured.
The next step involved now is posting the bail by the bail bondsman in the jail your loved ones is held it is advisable to meet up with the bails bondsman there. This usually doesn’t take a lot of time just about an hour or two.
It’s very important that the defendant doesn’t jump bail and appears in time for all their court hearing this will ensure no complications will arise between you and the bails bondsman.
Frequently Asked Questions
In such a case that you don’t have the cash to pay the deposit of 10-15% for the bails bond, you can discuss with the bail bondsman to secure your bails bonds using different kinds of collateral like jewelry.
Even if the court grants you permission to leave the state. You will also need to get permission from your bails bondsman this will prevent any conflicts of interest between the both of you.
Generally, after the bail bondsman posts bail, the defendant should be released around 3-6 hours later under normal circumstances. Some factors can also affect the release speed of the defendant from jail such as Traffic, staff, and even paperwork of the defendant.
Once the bails bonds contract is signed it can’t be revoked even if it’s destroying you financially. It can only be canceled by the bails bondsman himself.
If you paid the full bail amount by yourself then the bail amount will be returned to you once the court case is dismissed. But if you went for bails bonds and you paid the bail bondsman 10-15% for the Bail bonds it will not be returned to you at the end. It will serve as the payment for the bail bondsman.
Conclusion
Anyone can become a successful bails bondsman, I think it just takes adequate hard work and perseverance.
You will also need to inculcate the adequate skills needed to be successful in the profession and trust me on this you’ll make enough money as a bails bondsman.
References
- law.cornell.edu/wex/bail_bondsman/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bail_bondsman
- investopedia.com/terms/b/bail-bond/
- bailbondsdirect.com/bail-bonds-101-essential-guide/
- blog.suretysolutions.com/suretynews/what-is-a-bail-bond/
- findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-procedure/the-role-of-a-bail-bondsman/
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