If you wanted to help a friend get out of jail, you may have tried to do the right thing. Once your friend is bailed out of jail, your work is not done, however. Read on and find out more about your obligations and how to act when things go wrong.
Bail Bonds are Great
This way of bailing a friend out of jail is undoubtedly the easiest and least expensive way to do it. Bail bonds are not as expensive as the full bail cost, and they accomplish the same thing – getting your friend out of jail. Bail bonds, though, are very similar to a regular bond in that those bailed out must obey the rules that come along with their freedom from jail.
Your Money is on the Line
Bail bonds are only a percentage of the full bail cost but the entire amount of the bail, potentially thousands of dollars in cost, could be owed if your friend fails to keep up their end of the bargain. The bail bonding agency guarantees that the defendant will behave and show up for all future court hearings. This guarantee is based on the bail agency paying the court the full amount of the bail if your friend's bail is revoked. The bail agency passes that cost along to whoever paid for the bail bond in that case.
How Bonds Are Revoked
Revoking a bond can happen in several ways:
- The defendant gets arrested.
- They miss a court date.
- They don't appear as ordered for drug testing or the like.
- They are caught with a weapon or hanging around with felons, witnesses, or alleged victims.
- They don't stay in touch with court officials or the bail bonding agency as required.
If the defendant fails to appear in court, the judge has the power to order a bench warrant. That gives law enforcement the go-ahead to arrest the defendant on failure to appear charges.
The other way that bonds are revoked is that the person responsible for the bail payment revokes it. If you have reason to believe that your friend is violating their bail conditions, that they don't intend to show up for court, or you are unable to get in touch with them, you can contact the bail agency and revoke the bail yourself. Once that occurs, an arrest warrant will be issued for your friend because they are no longer legally free from jail.
To find out more, speak to a bail bonding agent from a company like Texas Outlaws Bail Bonds.
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