When you find yourself under arrest and sitting in a jail, you may wonder who to call for help. Most people will have someone to call and help them post bail. However, sometimes there are those who may not have a person to call and will have to handle the situation themselves. It is often asked if a defendant can post their own bail and seek a bail bond service themselves. Ajua Bail Bonds would like to share how a defendant can post their own bail in the state of California.
What is the Concept of Bail
A bail is money that the defendant (the arrested person) must pay to be freed from jail until their trial. The bail isn’t so much the cost to be freed but is more of an insurance to make sure the defendant shows up for their trial. After the trial and the defendant shows up, the money used to post bail will be returned. The bail amount is often very high to ensure the defendant shows up for their court date. Where the bail amount can be very expensive, often the defendant may need help paying for their bail. If you don’t have the money to pay bail, a bail bondsman can help.
Can You Pay Your Own Bail?
If you have been arrested and have no one to call for help, you can post bail yourself. There are a few different ways you can post bail for yourself. When you have been arrested there are a few ways you can pay your bail.
Pay Cash – If you are able to pay the full bail amount you can pay cash directly to the court. If you don’t have enough money sitting in your bank account, the courts do not mind if you borrow money from a friend or family member. However, to post bail you will need to pay the full amount.
Ask for Leniency – It is not out of line to ask the judge for leniency for non-violent offenses. You can request that you be released on “good-faith release” or “prosperity release.” which is when the judge will waive the bail. If you are a first time offender and your charges are non-violent in nature, often the judge will waive your bail, but sometimes you must ask the judge.
Contact a Bondsman – If you do not meet the requirements to be leased on good faith, or you do not have the money or anyone to ask to borrow money for bail, you can seek help from a bail bondsman. A bail bondsman or a bail bond agency can help pay for your bail. However, payment for their services basically requires you to pay 10% of your bail to them. In the state of California, a bail bondsman keeps 10% of the bail. If you cannot provide the 10 % cash to the bail bond agency, you can set up a payment plan and even provide them with collateral such as jewelry, property, a vehicle or other valuables equal to your 10% fee.
Bail Bond Services in Clovis, Reedley, Sanger, Selma, Atwater, Los Banos, Merced, Visalia, Porterville, Tulare, Hanford, Corcoran, Lemoore & Greater Fresno, CA
You can contact a bail bond agency if you find yourself arrested and have no one to help you. For quality bail bond services, contact Ajua Bail Bonds today.
