Although most folks generally do their best to stay out of trouble with the law, sometimes people make bad decisions that result in some very unfortunate consequences. If you’re caught committing a crime, then there’s a good chance that you’ll be arrested, charged, and forced to work your way through the legal system, at which point you’ll either be convicted and punished or let off the hook.
Whether or not you actually committed the crime for which you’re being charged, you should remember that in the United States, people are considered innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, even if you know that you did, indeed, commit a crime, you still have the right to a speedy trial that will determine your legal and logistical fate.
Unfortunately, due to backlogs in the court system, your trial date may end up coming weeks or months after the date of your arrest. In situations like these, you’ll need to come up with money for bail in order to avoid spending that waiting period between your arrest and your trial sitting in prison.
The reason why judges impose bail in these types of scenarios is simple: If you’re released from custody and are told to show up for a court date several months down the line, then what’s to stop you from skipping town to avoid the punishments involved in a conviction? The purpose of bail is to incentivize people to show up for their court dates as required. If you post bail but then decide not to show up for trial, you’ll end up losing whatever sum of money you laid out in exchange for your release.
Of course, some may think that a few thousand dollars in bail money is a small price to pay to avoid potentially being incarcerated and fined. However, in some situations, the monetary punishment involved in a crime may not be as significant as the amount needed to post bail. Additionally, not every illegal action is punishable by jail time, and in certain cases, a person facing charges may end up paying only a modest fine and doing some community service if convicted. For this reason, many people who are charged with crimes prefer do the right thing by posting bail, showing up for trial, and hoping for the best rather than avoiding the situation and getting themselves into deeper trouble.
Unfortunately, posting bail is usually not a simple matter. In order for a judge to truly incentivize a person to show up for trial, he’ll need to set the bail at an amount that, if forfeited, will constitute a significant financial loss. Depending on the nature of the crime, a person’s bail amount can be a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Clearly, not everybody has this kind of money just lying around or even sitting in a bank account. If you’re in a situation where you need to post bail but don’t have the funds on hand to do so, then turning to a bail bondsman is probably your best option.
The way bail bonds work is as follows: In exchange for a fraction of your bail amount – usually ten percent – a bail bondsman can secure your release from prison. While a friend or family member will have to work with a bail bondsman on your behalf (after all, it’s hard to make financial arrangements while in custody), this option will allow you to get out of jail as quickly as possible. On the other hand, not everybody is eligible for bail bonds. Don McKay is the owner of McKay Bail Bonds in Rockville, Maryland, and according to him, there are certain criteria that a person must meet to qualify for bail bonds.
A person looking for bail bonds on your behalf must hold a full-time job, be over the age of 21, and be a United States citizen or green card holder. To use McKay’s service, he must also reside within the state of Maryland. On top of this, if the bail amount in question is over $20,000, then McKay will require two cosigners; and if the bail exceeds $25,000, then one of the people signing needs to be a homeowner.
Interestingly enough, the financial status of the person accused of the crime doesn’t actually matter when it comes to bail bonds. Since the person dealing with the bail bondsman is the one putting up the money, most bail bondsmen are more concerned with getting rock solid signers.
If you’re ever in the unfortunate position of needing to come up with bail money, then have a trusted friend or family member get in touch with a local bail bondsman. As long as someone in your life meets the criteria for eligibility, a bail bond can make the difference between extra time in prison and your immediate freedom.
