Informational Resources About Bail and Bonds

At Almost Home Bailbond, we are fully committed to meeting your needs. In pursuit of our goal of reducing the hours you spend in jail, we share our knowledge of bail bonds to help you make smart and informed decisions regarding your bail.

How Bail Works

Bonding out of jail is usually accomplished in one of two ways:

The defendant or someone else will post cash bail at the jail. This dollar amount is 100% of the set bail for the defendant's offense. For example, if the set bail is $5,000, this amount has to be posted in cash.

When the defendant has fulfilled all of his/her obligations by appearing in court on all matters, until the case is resolved, the cash posted for his/her release will be applied first to any booking fees, jail housing fees, fines, court costs, costs of investigation, costs of prosecution, public defender fees (if any), and any other costs involved. Only then will the balance of the cash—if any remains—be returned to the party who posted it.

If neither the defendant nor any family members or friends have access to the entire bail amount, they can call a licensed bail agent and arrange to post a bail bond. To do this, typically you would need two things—premium and collateral.

Premium is calculated at 10%, with a minimum of $100.00, of the set bail (i.e., if the bail is set at $5,000, the premium would be $500) and is considered earned and nonrefundable once the defendant is released on said bond.

Collateral is something for the bail agent to hold until the defendant has finished all required appearances with the court, at which time, it would be returned. It usually comes in the form of either cash, cars, real estate, and, in some cases, signatures of someone who qualifies to be financially responsible to secure the bond.

Surety Bond

This is a process involving a contractual undertaking, which involves a bail bondsperson, an indemnitor, and the court. The courts tend to favor this form of release because it guarantees that if the defendant fails to appear in court, someone (the bail agent) will make an immediate effort to find, apprehend, and bring back to the court of proper jurisdiction the defendant. By involving family and friends of the defendant, a bail bonds person from our company and the courts are reasonably assured of the defendant's appearance.

Cash Bail

Cash bail is a deposit paid in cash to secure the release of a defendant. This method requires the person who is trying to obtain the release of the defendant must deliver the full amount of bail in cash to the jail facility where the defendant is being detained.

When the defendant has fulfilled all of his/her obligations by appearing in court on all matters, until the case is resolved, the cash posted for his/her release will be applied first to any booking fees, jail housing fees, fines, court costs, costs of investigation, costs of prosecution, public defender fees (if any), and any other costs involved. Only then will the balance of the cash—if any remains—be returned to the party who posted it.