Bail Bonds

If you, a friend, or family member have recently been arrested the first concern is to get out of Jail. Most people don’t understand exactly how bonding one out of jail works, here are the basics:

Bail Bonds
The purpose of bail is to ensure that a Defendant does not flee or leave while they await their charges and to show up to assigned court dates. In order to enforce the Court’s concerns of having a Defendant appear is through a monetary obligation known as bail. Once the case is resolved the bond will be discharged and the Defendant will receive the money back they posted after being arrested. Both Florida and the United States Constitutions require that bail be reasonable.

The Process
Once a person is arrested they must appear before a Judge within 48 hours to determine if there was (1) probable cause for the arrest and (2) how much and if bond should be set. Sometimes depending on the charge bond may be set prior to the first appearance depending on the charge. If bond is automatically set the individual can be released once the said bond is posted. If you are arrested it is important to contact an attorney quickly for representation at the First Appearance to ensure bond is granted and that the bond amount is not excessively high.

How to Post Bond
You can post bond by either (1) posting the entire bond personally or (2) pay a bail bond agency 10 percent of the value of the bond. If you choose to post the entire bond yourself the full amount will be returned once the case is disposed or an individual can choose to allocate those funds to pay any mandatory court costs if applicable.