How does bail work?

Bail, bond are often interchanged, the bottom line is this, when someone’s accused of a crime, in most instances, other than in very, very serious crimes, a person is entitled, pursuant to our Constitution, the Eighth Amendment, they have a reasonable bail. Sometimes, that means they’re released on their own recognizance. In other words, without actually posting money. In other instances, you post bail, which means you post money, either directly or through a bail bondsman. Bail guarantees your appearance in court, if not, the money posted is taken by the court. Typically, bail bondsmen are used, but they don’t have to be. An individual can post the money themselves, and get the money back when the case is resolved. Some bail bondsmen are very honorable, some are not. So it’s important before you even consider posting bail, that you contact an experienced criminal defense attorney, who can advise you which bail bondsmen to use.

By Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A.