If you have a loved one who has been arrested, they may be able to get out of jail on bail. Bail, however, is generally more than you can afford right out of pocket. Luckily, you can work with a bail bond agent. But how does that whole process work?

Bail Is Set

The first part of the process is that your loved one is going to appear before a judge for their arraignment. At that point, they will be able to plead guilty or not guilty. After they plead, the attorneys will talk about bail. The district attorney will say what their recommendations are, your loved one's attorney will counter, and then the judge will say what they have decided bail amount should be. They may say that it must be paid in full, but generally, you can pay it with a bond. In order to get that bond, you need to see a bond agent. 

Visit the Bond Agent

Generally, bail bond agents are in close proximity to the jail or courthouse. It makes a lot of sense for them to be there because that's where most of their business is going to come from. You will need to go to their office and provide them with some information. That information includes your loved one's name, their case number, their bail amount, and what you are offering as collateral. The usual way that this works is that you pay a certain percentage of the bail down and then use something like your car, house, or other valuable property as collateral. The bond agent will then go to the jail, pay the bail, and file any necessary paperwork. That will start the whole release process for your loved one, which may take up to a few hours, depending on the time of day and what day of the week it is. If your loved one has been arrested and you don't live near them, you can work with a bond agent near your home, and then they can send all the appropriate paperwork to the jail where your loved one is. 

If your loved one has been arrested, odds are that you want to get them out of jail as soon as possible. If the judge has set bail, that's something that you can do to help get them home sooner. Knowing the basic process can make it easier for you to get everything set up.  

Pop over to this website or other sites to learn more about bail bonds.

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