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Bail bonds,
bail bondsman, bond, cash bail, credit bail serving entire San Diego County
Licensed bail agents can
provide you with bail bond information and fast 24 hours confidential bail
assistance.
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Frequently
asked bail bonds questions
How does bail
work?
When an individual is arrested
for a crime in the State of California, typically that person
will be taken to a local law enforcement station for booking,
prior to incarceration in a station lock-up or county jail.
Once arrested and booked, the defendant has several options
for release pending the conclusion of his or her case. Bail is
designed to guarantee the appearance of a defendant in court
at the time the judge directs.
What are the
release options if someone is arrested?
There are five basic release
options available. The five options are:
Cash Bail
Cash bail means a person
must give the court or jail the total amount of the bail in
cash. The cash will be held by the court until the
defendant appears to all of his/her court cases and the case
is concluded. Full cash bonds provide a powerful incentive for
the defendant to appear in court. If the defendant appears for
all of his/her scheduled court appearances, the cash bail
should be returned in full.
Surety Bond
An alternative to cash bail
is a surety bond. This process involves a contractual
undertaking guaranteed by an admitted insurance company having
adequate assets to satisfy the face value of the bond. The
bail agent guarantees to the court that they will pay the bond
forfeiture if a defendant fails to appear for their scheduled
court appearances. The bail agent’s guarantee is made
through a surety company and/or by pledging property owned by
the bail agent.
For this service, the defendant
is charged a premium (typically 10% of the bail amount in
California). For example, if the bail amount in $10,000.00,
the premium charged is $1,000.00. Prior to the posting of the
surety bond, the defendant, friend or relative must contact a
licensed bail agent. You can contact us toll-free at 1-800-957-2245.
Once a bail agent is contacted, an interview or appointment
will be immediately scheduled.
By involving the family
and friends of a defendant, as well as through the acceptance
of collateral, the bail agent can be reasonably assured that
the defendant released on a surety bond will appear to all of
his/her court appearances.
After this procedure is
completed, the bail agent will post a bond for the full bail
amount, financially guaranteeing the defendant’s return to
court as scheduled.
With money on the line, the
bail agent has a financial interest in supervising bailees,
and ensuring that they appear in court each end every time the
court orders them to appear. If the defendant does not appear
in court (skips), the bail agent has time and the financial
incentive to find the defendant and bring him/her to court.
Property Bond
In rare cases an individual may
be released by posting a property bond with the court. With a
property bond, the court records a lien on the property to
secure the bail amount. If the defendant fails to appear in
court as scheduled, the court may foreclose on the property to
obtain the forfeited bail amount.
Release on Own
Recognizance (O.R.)
Another method of release,
pending trial, is through a county or law enforcement
administered pre-trial release program. Usually, the
employees of these programs interview defendants in custody
and make recommendations to the court regarding the release of
these individuals on their own recognizance (i.e., without any
financial security to insure the defendant’s return).
The interview process is often
conducted over the telephone, usually with little inquiry into
the defendant’s background. The interview process attempts
to determine whether the detainee is likely to appear in
court. There is usually no verification of information
provided by the defendant. Since no money, property or bond is
posted to secure the defendant’s appearance in court, he/she
faces no personal economic hardship from the conscious
decision not to appear in court.
Release on Citation
(Cite Out)
This procedure involves the
issuance of a citation by the arresting officer to the
arrestee, informing the arrestee that he/she must appear in
court at an appointed court date.
The "Cite Out"
usually occurs immediately after an individual is arrested. As
a consequence of the failure to follow complete booking
procedures, the true identity and background of most
individuals released on citation is never established. This
results in the release of numerous arrestees who may have
outstanding bench warrants pending or who may present a
significant danger to society.
Accordingly, in those cases
involving "Cite Outs", the arrestee may never be
placed in custody. Like the Own Recognizance (O.R.) release,
the defendant’s appearance in court depends exclusively on
the integrity of the defendant voluntarily returning to court
as ordered by the court.
How much does a bail
bond (surety bond) cost?
In California, the bail premium
(fee) is typically 10% of the full bail amount. For example,
if the bail amount is $10,000.00, the premium charged is
$1,000.00.
How much of the premium
will I get back?
Typically the 10% premium is
fully earned once the bail bond is posted with a jail or
court. That is how bail agents and their surety companies make
their money and pay their bills.
What is collateral?
Collateral is anything of value
used to financially secure a bail bond.
What can be used as
collateral?
Some examples of collateral
include houses, cars, boats, jewelry, electronic equipment
(you get the idea).
When will collateral be
returned?
Collateral is usually returned
when the court finishes with the defendant’s case(s),
exonerating the bail bond(s), and when all fees have been
paid.
How long does it take
to get released from jail?
There are two types of jails.
There are city jails operated by city police departments and
there are county jails operated by the county sheriff. After a
defendant is booked into a city jail (i.e.: fingerprinted,
photographed, warrants checked, etc.), it typically takes
anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour to be released on bail.
After a defendant is booked into a county jail, it usually
takes anywhere from 2 to 8 hours and up to 24 hours to be
released on bail. We wish we could speed up the process but
the city and county jails operate at their own pace. Binder’s
Bail Bonds does everything possible to expedite
the bail release. Let us assure you we will be by your side
every step of the way.
Call us at 1-800-957-2245
or email us at info@bail-bonds-san-diego.com
for immediate bail bonds assistance for all San Diego
cities.
