Most people think they have a basic understanding of bail and how bail bonds work to get someone released from jail. They may be surprised, however, when they have to actually interact with the legal system for themselves and discover they maybe didn’t understand everything quite as much as they thought they did. One of the biggest misconceptions people come into our Thibodaux bail bonds office with is what the courts do with bail money.
Bail is set by a judge as a way to get a defendant to come back for their future court date. The court doesn’t keep the bail money, at least, not at first. The money that’s put up for bail is held by the courts until you show up for that next court date, at which time it may be released back to the defendant. The amount that’s released depends on a few things; first, whether or not you are found guilty of the charges, and second, whether or not you have fees to pay to the courts. Even if you are found guilty but you’ve shown up to all of your court dates, you’ll get the majority of your bail money back. The courts don’t set high bail amounts just to make more money.
Some client wonder, then, if the courts give the money back, does that mean they get their bail bond money back, as well? No. A bail bond is a 10% fee of the bail amount that’s set by the judge and paid to a company like Lausen’s Bail Bonds. In exchange for that 10% payment, a bail bondsman will put up the entire amount of your bail out of their own pocket. Whether or not you show up to your court dates or are found guilty or not guilty, the bail bonds company gets to keep your 10% fee as a service charge for fronting the entire amount of the bail.
So should you use a bail bond company or put up the bail yourself? If you have the cash on hand to put up your own bail, that could be a good option, as chances are you’ll get the majority of the amount back as long as you attend all of your court appearances. Most people don’t have thousands of dollars of cash on hand, though, and must use the services of a bail bondsman. For the 10% service charge, they get the peace of mind of being out of jail until their court date and not having to deplete their savings or credit cards for the necessary bail amount.
If you or a loved one are facing an arrest or have already been arrested, Lausen’s Bail Bonds can help. We’ll explain all of your bail options to you so you can get the information that you need in order to make the best choice for you and your family. You can call one of our Thibodaux bondsmen at 985-302-3050 or contact us through our website for more information and to start the bail bond process right away.
