If you or someone you know lands in jail, it’s important that you know your rights. The Eighth Amendment to our U.S. Constitution protects citizens from excessive bail shall, excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment. This amendment essentially prohibits the federal government from imposing excessively harsh penalties on criminal defendants, either as the cost for bail or as punishment for a crime after a conviction. A bail bondsman can help defendants through the process and out of the slammer until trial.
What exactly is a bail bondsman?
Bond is the amount of money the court decides to set to ensure the defendant will return to court. The bondsman pays this amount and is responsible for further ensuring the accused returns to court. The approximately 14,000 misdemeanor criminal bondsmen working in the U.S. today essentially charge their client 10% of their bond fee, which is not refundable if later found innocent. But to many, especially those who believe they will be found innocent, the fee is well worth it.
Why does a person need a bail bond agency?
The most important and beneficial service a bondsman provides when providing misdemeanor criminal bonds is that the defendant is able to stay in the comfort of his or her home while awaiting trial. Considering how many people are being processed through the system, waiting can take time, and waiting it out at home allows a great deal more freedom. Between June 2010 and 2011, nearly 12 million people were processed through the system. Clearly, the wait could take a while, and staying at home allows the accused to go about much of his or her life without interruption while awaiting the court date.
Other benefits to hiring a bail bond company
The penal system does not have room to house all the defendants awaiting trial. In fact, on any given day, 60 percent of the U.S. jail population are those being held as they await trial rather than those actually convicted of a crime. A bail bond company helps to keep more people at home and fewer in the prison system. And with jails operating at about 91% since 2010, it’s easy to see how a full-service bail bond company helps both the defendant and the prison system.
What are the odds I’ll ever need a misdemeanor criminal bond?
You may be surprised to learn that 52% of all American males will be arrested at some point in their lifetimes. Additionally, a 2011 study in Pediatrics showed that 1 in 3 people will be arrested by the time they are 23. So as you can see, it’s not as remote as you think that you or someone you know will be arrested for either a misdemeanor or a felony. What this means is that as the cost of bail keeps going up, the need to hire someone to pay misdemeanor criminal bonds has gone up as well, because people are less likely to be able to post bond on their own even with the help of friends and family. Help is out there and only a phone call away.