Alone and Arrested? Here’s What To Do

Indianapolis Bail Bondsman 317-876-9600

Indianapolis Bail Bondsman 317-876-9600

Being arrested when you are all alone is a scary situation, especially if it is your first time or first encounter with law enforcement. Usually a person has someone in their life they can turn to for help in a serious predicament; but sometimes, a person is all alone. Perhaps you have just moved to a new city, you are recently bereaved, or you’re just a natural loner. Either way, anyone that is forced to post their own bail will face a different set of obstacles in comparison to a person bailing another person out of jail.

In this blog, we will highlight the steps to posting your own bond if you were to ever get arrested at a time when you are by yourself, or if you have to turn yourself into authorities for a warrant.

Making the First Call from Jail

Once you have an opportunity to use the phones, call a bail bondsman. The jail staff will have the necessary information and phone numbers to many local bail agencies, and will be happy to provide you with this information on the grounds that you remain cooperative. If you do not want to use a bail bondsman, you can choose the pay the full bond amount directly to the courts for a release from jail. You would then receive this money back in-full upon completion of all court orders. Unfortunately, many people cannot afford this option because bond amounts are generally very high, in the $5,000 and up range. This is expensive and can take years to get back, which is why a bail bondsman is recommended.

Bail Bond Services

Once you have contacted a bail bond company, be sure to be completely honest with the bail bondsmen. You will be asked to give all your information over the phone to the agent, including: name, age, arrest charges, criminal history, employment and salary, emergency contact people, phone numbers, email, and more. Once they have collected this information from you, you will need to discuss payment.

Most bail bond companies will accept cash in the form of cashiers’ checks, debit cards, and of course, actual cash. In the case that you have to bail yourself out of jail, a debit card bank account is going to be very helpful and could make or break your chances of getting out of jail. This is because the bail agent will not grant you his services without being paid first. You can either use your account to buy a cashiers’ check, or you can simply use your account number like a debit card. Cash is also very helpful. If you happen to have enough cash on you and would like to pay with it, a bail bondsman will allow that transaction once they pick you up from jail.

Getting Out

Once you have established payment arrangement with a bail bondsman, the bail procedures can begin. From here, it is only a matter of time before you are released from jail. The time depends on your sobriety, your behavior, the traffic of the jail, and the efficiency of the jail staff.

After you are released from jail, unless the bail bondsman picks you up, you are escorted back to the bail agency, which is usually just minutes form the jail, to finish signing paperwork, agreements, and contracts. Sometimes, the bail agency will take payment at this time rather than over the phone. It all depends on the company.

Woods Bail Bonds

Woods Bail Bonds Indiana

Woods Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

Call Woods Bail Bonds at 317-876-9600 for safe and secure bail bond services in Indianapolis, Indiana. Licensed bail bondsman, James Woods, and his team of professional bail agents, provide safe and secure bail bond services 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Bail bonds are a fast and easy way to get out of jail in Indianapolis, IN!

Are All Bail Bonds the Same?

Indianapolis Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

Indianapolis Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

For anyone who wishes to get a friend or loved one out of jail following an arrest, a bail bond is the common “go-to” amenity used to achieve this safely and efficiently. Although bail bonds are well-known and commonly used to get people out of jail, many people may be unaware that there is more than just one kind of bail bond offered at a bail agency. Continue reading to learn some thought-provoking facts regarding the different types of bonds and how they are used in the bail industry.

Surety Bonds

A surety bond is the most common type of bail bond used to obtain a release from jail in the United States. It is more commonly referred to as a bail bond. The standard bail bond method involves hiring a licensed bail bondsman to enable a persons’ release from jail. Bail bondsmen are the more popular choice for anyone looking to bail a person out of jail because of the ease and affordability. Most people could never afford the pay the entire bond amount to the courts to get out of jail. A bail agency will only charge 10-15% of the bond amount (which is usually in the mid-high thousands) for their services. They parties involved with the bail process will be required to sign agreements, contracts, and other documents guaranteeing they will show up for their scheduled court hearing and not skip bond. If they do not appear for court, a warrant will be issued for their arrest, and the co-signer of the bond will be accountable to pay the remainder bond amount to the courts, or face legal penalties.

Cash Bonds

A cash bond is an unlikely choice for many U.S. citizens who are arrested and detained on minor charges. The reason for this is that a cash bond requires a person to pay the courts the full bond amount, usually between $2,000 and $10,000, but upwards of $20,000 to $30,000 or more, depending on the charges and criminal history of the defendant. In many cases, people do not have this type of cash on hand, and if they did, could not afford to hand it over to the courts until their court date. Although it is expensive to use a cash bond, it is refundable so long as the person follows the courts rules and appears for all scheduled hearings.

Property Bonds

A property bond is typically used in major criminal cases that involve serious charges and high bond amounts. If a person is arrested on such charges, in order to obtain a release from jail, rather than wait in a jail cell for weeks until their court date, they can use a property bond. To use a property bond, a person must forgo their most expensive assets (i.e. houses, property, vehicles, stocks, etc.) to the court in exchange for their release from jail. After they show for their court dates and follow all instructions handed down by the judge, they will receive their properties back in their name.

There are several other types of bail bonds used in the industry as well. Stay tuned for next weeks blog to dive into some more bail bond definitions! In the mean time, call a licensed Indianapolis bail bonds for all your questions about bail, bonds, and more!

Woods Bail Bonds

Woods Bail Bonds Indiana

Woods Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

Call Woods Bail Bonds at 317-876-9600 to get a friend or loved one out of jail in Indianapolis. Owner and licensed bail bondsman, James Woods, can offer safe and secure releases from any Indiana county jails. We offer bail bond services for misdemeanor arrests, felony arrests, DUI’s, OWI’s, probation violations, arrest warrants, and much more. Call 317-876-9600 to learn how to get out of jail in Indianapolis or its surrounding counties.

Once You Co-Sign for a Bail Bond You Can’t Undo It

Bail Bonds Indianapolis 317-876-9600

Bail Bonds Indianapolis 317-876-9600

Before co-signing for a bail bond for someone you don’t know very well, you might want to consider the real-life consequences that go along with it. There are hundreds of bail bond horror stories about people co-signing on a bail bond for a friend, or a friend of a friend, and it back fires. For example, let’s say a girl co-signs on a bail bond for a new boyfriend she just met, only for that new boyfriend to skip bond and never be heard of again, leaving the girl legally responsible to pay the courts the forfeited
bond amount in full.

Keep in mind that the average cost of bond is between $20,000 and $30,000! There is no refund policy or “buyers’ remorse” when it comes to bail bonds. Continue reading to learn more about bail bond policies and how they work so that you can better understand the responsibility involved in co-signing for bail bonds.

Co-Signed Bail Bonds

Once a court issues a forfeiture after a defendant fails to appear for court or skips bond, the person who co-signed for the bail bond is responsible for paying the remaining amount. This is a highly undesirable financial obligation to undertake considering the average cost of bond is about the same as a brand new car. It is a big deal to co-sign for a bail bond for another person. This is why it is usually family, loved ones, and close friends that provide this type of assistance for one another.

To co-sign for a bail bond for a person you hardly know is a very risky situation for anyone who is not a millionaire. Signing the paperwork for a bail bond is not only agreeing to pay any monies that are due, it is also agreeing to make sure the defendant appears for all their scheduled court dates. No matter what the relationship situation is between a defendant and a co-signer, or how the relationship might change, the co-signer will be liable for the remaining bond amount if the defendant does not pay or fulfill their court-ordered responsibilities.

Woods Bail Bonds

Woods Bail Bonds Indiana

Woods Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

Call Woods Bail Bonds at 317-876-9600 for 24 hour bail bond services in Indiana. Owner, James Woods, and our team of professional bail bondsmen, are licensed bonded and insured, with years of experience in the bail bond industry. We offer various types of bail bonds and bail services in Indianapolis, as well as, all throughout Indiana. Call 317-876-9600 to get yourself or a friend out of jail today.