After a person has been arrested, posting bail is usually required to get out of jail. Bail, essentially, is collateral to guarantee that the individual will show up for his or her court date. It may be a cash payment or the use of property as collateral, which the person forfeits if he or she flees. People who don’t have the cash or any assets may work with a Bail Bondsman in Atlanta to receive bail money. For a reasonable fee, the bondsman posts bail for the person who was arrested in the form of a surety bond. Bail bond services are limited by state laws as to how much they can charge for this service.
Bail is determined in two ways. For relatively common crimes, the court typically has specific bail amounts set. The arrested person, or a friend or family member, can post bail and have the individual released immediately.
In other cases, a judge sets bail. The arrested person must wait until a judge can evaluate the situation and decide on an appropriate amount. If the arrest took place on a weekday, the bail might be set on the same day or the next day. If the arrest took place on a Friday night, a weekend day, or a holiday, it will take longer.
If the crime was particularly serious, the judge is likely to set bail very high or may refuse to set any bail amount. This is more probable if the individual can be considered a substantial flight risk. Murder is an example of one of the most serious criminal charges where bail may be denied.
As soon as the arrested person knows what the bail amount will be, the process can begin of having a Bail Bondsman in Atlanta post the surety bond. Some services, such as Free at Last Bail Bonds, offer payment arrangements if the full fee cannot be paid immediately. This type of service is also advantageous for someone who has been placed in jail outside of normal business hours but can be released on a standard bail amount. The bail bonds service is open at all hours of the day, every day of the week.
