Englewood Bail Bonds FAQs

“Out on bail” is a phrase nearly every adult in the US is familiar with and yet, unless they’ve been arrested for a serious crime themselves, most have little idea just what being “out on bail” means, how it works or how to set the process in motion. In an effort to push back the curtain on this common but still mysterious process we’re going to cover a number of questions the Englewood bondsman gets asked most frequently during the performance of their duties.

Q) Is there a difference between “bail” and “bond”?

Typically when a defendant is arraigned the judge will set both a bail and a bond, which confuses some people who thought they were the same thing. While they are related they are not exactly the same. Bail is an amount the judge has decided the defendant can pay in order to secure their immediate release. If they pay the amount and adhere to the terms of their release and show up for trial the amount they paid will be refunded to them in full after the trial regardless of the outcome. A bond comes into play when the person is unable to make the bail payment themselves. In this case they may contact a bail bonds agent who will put up the bail amount in return for a fee, which is typically about 10% of the bail amount. That fee is non-refundable. If the person then skips out on bail or fails to appear in court at the arranged time bail is revoked by the court and the bond agent may employ a bounty hunter to track down the fleeing suspect.

Q) What, if any, information does a Jefferson County Bail Bonds Agent need?

There are definitely some pieces of information the bail bondsman will need if they are to be of service to you. These include:

• Where you or the person you are calling on behalf of is being held - This includes the city or town along with the name of the jail.
• The full legal name of the person in custody as well as the booking number - While providing the booking number will help facilitate the process it’s not absolutely necessary. If you don’t know it or if the jail did not provide it for you we can obtain it ourselves. The full legal name however is non-negotiable.
• The amount of bail in question - Again, if you have this information it will make everything go faster and easier. But if you don’t know to bondsman can get the amount from the jail when they call. Once the Jefferson County bail bonds agent finds out the bail amount they will inform you regarding how much it will cost to post the bond as well as any other requirements.

Q) Is there only one way to get “out on bond”?

There are actually four ways a person may be released after being arrested for a serious offense.

• They can employ the services of a bail bonds agent.
• They can use their own money to post the full amount of the bail with the appropriate authority.
• They can use real estate to guarantee the bond.
• The judge may decide to release them on their own recognizance.

Q) Is the fee paid to the bondsman returned if the defendant is found not guilty?

In virtually all cases any fee paid to the Englewood bond agency is non-refundable whether the person bailed out is ultimately found innocent or guilty. If found innocent you may receive a full refund if you posted the bail amount yourself. Also, if the person who was bailed out gets rearrested while out on bail no amount of the bail money is returned as the person has failed to live up to the terms of their release.

Q) If the person I bailed out does not show up what happens to me?

Oftentimes people who have been arrested get bailed out by a friend or relative. That person then becomes the “indemnitor” of the person who was arrested. This means they are legally responsible for them while they are out on bail. In some cases the person who was bailed out is unable to appear in court because of severe illness or car trouble or some other reason. If that’s the case the court will likely accommodate the situation. However, in cases when a person out on bond decides to skip bail the bail will be revoked and any money the indemnitor put up for bail will be lost. In addition if the Englewood bail bonds agent decides to hire a bounty hunter to apprehend the fleeing individual the indemnitor will be responsible for paying those and any other charges related to recovering the missing person.

Q) Can someone out on bail leave the state?

Typically no but there are exceptions. If there is a legitimate reason why a person may need to leave the state, or even the country, while out on bail those reasons should be raised with the court during the bail hearing or, if there is no formal bail hearing, at the time when the Englewood bondsman contacts the jail to arrange the bond. If the reasons for wanting to leave the state or country are deemed to be insufficient the request can be denied. If the person out on bail decides to leave the state anyway bail is revoked and an arrest warrant issued.

We hope you found this information helpful and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need advice on next steps.