Before you risk any collateral for bail, you must know how it works.
If you or your loved one is in trouble with the law in Las Vegas, you may able to post your own bond but if you don’t have time do it yourself or don’t have the capacity to pay the total bail amount, calling a bail bondsman can do all that work for you.
The important details that you need to remember when in custody should include:
- The Location
Know the Name of the Jail, City, and State.
- The Name
Make sure you get the Full Name and Booking Number right.
- The Bail Amount
Know the exact amount and requirements you will need to post a bail.
Though there are other ways to get bail bonds for a release either by asking the court judge to issue an “own recognizance” release but that depends on the defendant’s reputation or the defendant’s contribution to the community so there’s really no assurance if the defendant is qualified or by the use of real estate for collateral.
If the only option you have left is through collateral, then you must understand that any of your real estate property is at stake and you might end up losing it if you missed the important conditions behind it.
What are the most commonly accepted bail collateral that you may use?
- Real Estate Property you owned that may include a home or other property owned by friends or family members who are willing to post for your bail. Properties still owned or under debt or mortgage is not accepted.
- Vehicle Titles that you currently owned such as cars, boats, trailers, and other recreational vehicles. vehicles still owed to a creditor is not accepted.
- Jewelry, Firearms or Electronic Devices that has a current value that is equal to the bail amount or items that can be sold or pawned for cash if ever necessary.
Some collateral options you may also discuss with a bail bondsman are credit card or personal credit, stocks or bank accounts, or other possession that has value acceptable by the bail bonds company.
Do I get my property or money back when the case is already closed?
When the case has been completed, the collateral will be returned to the defendant. In some cases, that depends on how the bail has been posted or who posted it.
According to Aboutbail.com,
If you’ve paid a cash bond to the court, meaning you paid the full bail amount, you will have that money returned to you after the defendant makes all required court appearances. If the person does not show up in court, that money will be forfeited and you will not see it again. And if the defendant gets arrested again while out on bail, no refund will be given.
If a defendant is found not guilty, the bond is discharged; if the defendant pleads guilty, the bond is discharged at the time of sentencing.
Property bond on the other hand also has a similar condition with the cash bond. If you fail to show up in court your property will be legally seized by the court.
But, if you have paid a bail premium or the percentage of the total bail amount, it’s sad to say it is non-refundable. The only case you are getting a refund is when the bail bondsman fails to accomplish his part of the contract.
What If you decide not to pay for your bail?
The answer is very simple, you will have to stay in jail until you are scheduled to show up in court for the hearing. If you are scheduled to stay for more than a day, you may transfer you to a facility within the day or the day after. You may ask a booking officer with regards of bail or posting your bail.
It can be unpleasant to stay in jail, so when you get to decide to post a bail, you may ask a list of networks of bail bondsmen or ask for recommendations.
What if you plan to bail out and not show up for the court date?
If you have no valid reason why you did not show up in you court hearing, the cash or collateral you have posted for bail will automatically turn into default and risk losing the amount you have paid or property you used to secure a bond. And this will also add another trouble aside from the case you are already in which you don’t want to ever happen to your case.
Conclusion:
Unfortunately, you don’t want to get into this situation in the first place. But when you do always remember that you have a very limited choice so you have to make it count. If you have something of use to bargain for a release, contact a bail bondsman to do all the job and ask all the details you need before signing a contract. It may cost you to get out of jail but it’s definitely worth it than spending y our time in jail.
I hope this article will help you make a better decision on whether or not it’s right to post your bail or secure a bond in times of trouble like getting in an unfortunate case.