Someone who co-signs a bail agreement in order to free someone from jail is called a bail bond indemnitor. If you have a loved one in jail and you want to help them get out as quickly as possible, you might be considering acting as a bail bond indemnitor.
However, becoming an indemnitor has a degree of responsibility, and it is vital to make sure you understand what being one means before you sign anything. Read on to find out more about the costs and obligations of becoming a bail bond indemnitor in California.
What are the responsibilities of a bail bond indemnitor?
An individual who is currently being held in jail can leave the custody of the police and go home after having a bail agreement signed by a bail bond indemnitor. When you agree to be a surety for a bail bond, you take on the defendant's legal responsibility until all court proceedings are over and the case is settled.
You, in your capacity as an indemnitor for bail bonds, are obligated to see to it that the defendant appears in court on the dates that have been set and that they fulfil any responsibilities that have been ordered by the judge.
In addition, you are responsible for the bond's financial obligations in your own name.
If the recovery effort fails, you will have to pay the full amount of the bail. Because of this, you might have to show a property deed, the title to a car, or some other form of collateral to get the defendant out of jail.
If the defendant fails to show up in court, the bail bond company may take your collateral and use it to pay the full amount of the bond as compensation to the court. This could result in you losing your collateral.
Because of the potential for serious repercussions for both you and the person for whom you are working as an indemnitor, you need to be familiar with and trustworthy with the person you are acting as an indemnitor for. If you want to take on the role of indemnitor, you should make sure that you are not putting anything in danger that you absolutely need, just in case it all goes very wrong.
Fortunately, most bail bond cases in California work out okay because when someone signs up to be a bail bond indemnitor, they are generally very good friends or relatives who have complete confidence in the defendant.
What should a defendant look for in a bail bond indemnitor?
If you are a defendant looking for a bail bond indemnitor, it is very important to choose a co-signer who can do the job well, help you, and be there for you at all times. You should look for a co-signer who meets certain criteria so that you can ensure everything goes properly regardless of the charge. Checking a person's credit history and making sure they have a stable financial situation are both important things to think about when deciding if they can pay back any money they may owe. The person's overall level of personal responsibility and how well they did at their previous jobs are also important factors.e that they are aware of all of the responsibilities and consequences that we have mentioned above before they sign anything.
Bail bond process
The defendant, a friend or relative of the defendant, or the defendant's attorney, will typically initiate contact with a bail bond business such as Mr Nice Guy Bail Bonds. . However, in order for bail services to begin, the arrest and booking procedures must first be completed. Until then, they cannot begin. As soon as these steps have been completed, the bail bond business will initiate the process of gathering fundamental information regarding the situation of the criminal defendant. The defendant's bail bond will be made available for purchase if and only if there are no holds placed on the defendant by the government.
After all the paperwork for the bail bond is done, a qualified bail bond agency will "post" the bail bond at the right jail or detention center to get the defendant released. This will allow the defendant to be freed from custody. The time it takes to get a bail bond can vary anywhere from twenty minutes to two hours from the moment a client calls a bail bond company to request service. At Mr Nice Guy Bail Bonds, we do our best to have all of the paperwork completed and finalized as quickly as possible in order to satisfy our customers' expectations.
What happens if the defendant doesn't attend court?
When a criminal defendant posts a bail bond, it is the bail bond company's job to make sure that the defendant shows up to court on the day that his or her trial is set to start. The bail bond business is given time to find the offender and bring them in before the court makes its decision.
Before you commit to a bond for someone else, you should always make sure you fully understand your responsibilities as a bail bond indemnitor. This is especially important if you are purchasing the bond on behalf of another person. If the person whose court appearance you guaranteed with a bail bond fails to show up, the bail bond company will come to your home and expect you to know where the defendant can be found. In addition, a bail bondsman might ask for your help in bringing the person who was released on bail back to court.
What is the cost?
You are undoubtedly curious about the cost of a bail bond now that you have a better understanding of how the bail process works. The total amount of bail that an individual is required to post will change based on the number and severity of the crime(s) with which they are charged.
However, regardless of how little or how much their bail is set at, the cost of a bail bond will always be 10% of the total amount that they are required to post in order to be released from custody. If the entire amount of bail is set at $30,000, then the price of a bail bond will be $3,000.
For more information on indemnitor liability for bail bonds and anything else to do with bail bond services, get in touch with Mr Nice Guy Bail Bonds.
