If you have never done this before, this page is the whole process start to finish, in the order it actually happens.
You can read these off the screen when you call.
When a person is arrested and booked on a serious charge, they wait in jail until a bail hearing. At that hearing a judge sets the bail amount. If the defendant cannot pay it, they wait in jail until their court date, which can be weeks or months out. The alternative is to hire a bail agent, who posts the full amount on their behalf for a fee.
Have as much information as you can when you call: the full name of the person in jail, which jail they are in, their booking number, and the charges. Most bail agents are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will answer regardless of the time. If you are near the jail, the agent will usually meet you there to post the bond. In some cases they will come to your home instead. If you are not in the same city as the defendant, the paperwork and payment can be handled electronically or over the phone.
A bail agent typically charges between 10% and 15% of the total bail amount. The exact figure depends on the circumstances and where the arrest happened. On a $5,000 bond with a 15% premium, the fee is $750. That $750 is not returned to you. It is the price of the service, not a deposit against the bond.
The agent may also ask you to sign over collateral: property such as a house, a car, art, or jewelry that helps guarantee the defendant appears in court. Once the premium is paid and any collateral is signed over, the agent posts the bond and the defendant is released. How long release takes depends on how crowded the jail is. It can be under an hour or it can be most of a day.
The defendant must appear at all court proceedings and meet any conditions the agent or the court set. If the defendant fails to appear, the agent becomes liable for the full bail amount, $5,000 in the example above. When that happens, or when the defendant violates the conditions of release, the agent is required to locate them and return them to jail. Any collateral signed over with the bond can be lost.
As long as the defendant complies with the terms and shows up for every court date, none of that applies. Whether the defendant is found guilty or innocent, the bond is exonerated once the trial is over and the obligation ends.
The short version. Pay the premium, sign what needs signing, go to every court date. Do that and the process works exactly as designed.
Call with the name and the county. We will take it from there.
