When you’ve been arrested, there will be a lot of questions racing through your head. Depending on the nature of the offense and the time you’ve been arrested, you might have to spend the night behind bars before being arraigned in court. In some situations, the police department can decide the bail amount.
If you’re unable to pay, the judge will review the bail and make the necessary adjustments when necessary. Working with a bail bondsman is the easiest way out of jail. Before we can touch on what happens when you fail to pay a bail bond, it’s important that we first understand how the process works.
Types of Bail
There are different types of bail that you might only come to be aware of when you’ve been arrested. It is usually in the form of cash but can also be in other different forms. For most offenses, the judge will offer a cash bail.
Determining The Bail Amount
The amount that you’ll be required to pay for bail will be determined before you’re released. When coming up with the amount, the judge will look at a couple of factors. He or she will start by looking at the nature of the offense, criminal history, risk of flight, and the dangerousness of the offender before deciding on the bail amount. There are circumstances where the judge might refuse to issue bail, especially when it is murder or a violent crime. Depending on the severity of the case, the defendant might have to pay a lot of money in order to get out of jail. Luckily with bail bond companies like Connecticut Bail Bonds Group, the defendant only has to pay a fraction of the amount in order to get out of jail.
What Happens If You Can’t Pay The Bail Bond?
Most bail bond agents will ask for collateral at the start. Although not a requirement, they do so just to protect their interest. In the event that you fail to pay the amount, the first course of action will be to appeal to have the bond revoked. It should be noted that there isn’t anything that the bondsman can do for the defendant to be arrested once bail has been posted unless the ruling is overturned.
Most such companies will be generous enough to accept flexible payment plans as they understand that it can be tough financially when someone has been arrested.
What Happens When You’re No Longer Covered By The Bail Bondsman?
When you fail to pay the bail bond completely, the bail bondsman can take the case before a judge to inform them they’ll no longer be in charge of the defendant’s bail responsibility. You’ll have two options in such a case. The first option will be to look for a new bail bond agent. The other option would be to work with your attorney in requesting the cash bail so that you’re able to pay for the bond premium. All the two options will not absolve you from the responsibility of paying the original bail bond.
Why It’s Important to Make Sure You Can Afford The Bail Bond
When you fail to pay the bail bond premium, you’ll only be increasing the chances of going back to jail. Before signing the paperwork, you’ll need to make sure that you can afford to pay for the amount. This will mean:
Reading the contract carefully: Before appending your signature on the dotted line, make sure that you’re going through the contract. The devil is always in the details. Even if the arrest will be a stressful period, you don’t want to make things worse by signing something that will get you into further trouble. Take your time to rationalize your decision. If you can’t afford it, no need to sign the paperwork.
Talk to your lawyer: Your lawyer will be the voice of reason when everything appears cloudy. Reach out and seek advice on the bail details. If the lawyer discourages you from signing the document, then you better heed the advice.
To Conclude
Once you put everything to pen and paper, you’ll be entering into an agreement. That’s why you should be careful as you don’t want to make any commitments that could lead to your financial ruin. It’s also important to be honest about your financial situation. Bail bond companies are run by humans. They’re well aware of how tough an arrest can be and their goal is to make sure that you’re getting out of jail.