Bail Vs. Bond: Are They The Same Or Different?

When you are trying to help a relative get out of jail, it can be confusing if you have never gone through this before, and one of the confusing parts is understanding the difference between bail and bond. Bail and bond are very similar, yet they are also different, and it is important to understand what the differences are when you are trying to find a way to bail someone out of jail.

Bail is what the court sets

In this country, people who are arrested for crimes have the right to get out of jail and spend their time at home while awaiting their trials. In order to get out of jail before the trial, though, the person must pay a bail amount. This amount is something the court will determine based on the crime and the person's criminal history, and the amount the court sets is the amount of cash you must bring to the jail to get the person out.

In some situations, the bail amount is very reasonable, such as $500. If this is the case, you might be able to come up with this amount of money to bail the person out, but there are also times when bail is much higher. If the amount of the bail is $5,000, it might be a lot harder for you to come up with this much cash. If this is the case, you could turn to a bail bondsman for help.

Bond is what a bail bondsman offers

Bond is similar to bail, but it is different in the way you bail someone out of jail. When the bail is too high, and you cannot afford to pay it, you could still get someone out of jail by paying a small fee to a bail bondsman. When you do this, you are paying around a 10% fee for the services. In the case where the court set bail at $5,000, you would pay $500 as the fee for the services offered by a bail bondsman. The bail bondsman would then offer you a loan for the bail amount of $5,000, and this is what a bond is.

This bond is a loan, and it is something you must repay in the event that the person you bailed out does not follow court orders. If he or she follows court orders, you would not be responsible to repay the $5,000 loan.

If you have questions or need help finding a way to get someone you love out of jail, you can learn more by contacting a company like Alda Pauline's Bail Bonds.


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