Should People Be Allowed to Use a Credit Card to Pay for Bail?

Indianapolis Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

Indianapolis Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

Many people wonder about credit card rates and annual fees. When it comes to responsible credit card use, it is suggested to never charge anything that you cannot immediately pay off. For example, many people charge car purchases to their credit cards, while not realizing that the average car loan rate is around 5 percent, whereas credit card interest rates are commonly 15 percent or more. Credit responsibility is a hard topic to debate. There are good and bad times to make a significant charge to your credit card; and everyone’s situations and scenarios are different. But what about other scenarios regarding credit card responsibility?

In particular, what about using a credit card to pay for bail? Should people be able to use credit cards to get out of jail on bond? Is this a responsible choice for people, courts, and society in general? Should Indiana courts be allowing defendants to pay for a release from jail with a credit card? Take a closer look at this topic and let us know what you think. Continue reading and learn about credit cards and the new “swipe and go” system courts are using to release defendants from jail in Indiana.

Using Credit Cards for Bail is Risky and Can Cost Taxpayers Money

Right now in certain Indiana counties, people are given the opportunity to use a credit card to obtain a release from jail directly through the courts. Courts are allowing defendants to pay their bond on a credit card but many feel that this method is unfair, irresponsible, and even dangerous. This is because there is no accountability for people who can get out of jail by simply handing over a credit card number. Many people question how defendants out on bond by means of credit can be trusted to appear for their court hearing on their own. This inquiry is certainly understandable. It is currently a very controversial topic among law enforcement and law officials in Indiana.

When a person is arrested for a crime, a judge will figure out if they are a likely flight risk, or a potential danger to their community. To avoid over-crowding in jails, a judge may release this person on their own recognizance; meaning they are trusted to show up for their hearing willingly. Instead of a judge releasing them on their own recognizance, they can choose to enroll them in a government-operated taxpayer pretrial program. This obviously costs taxpayers money. The last option for a judge is to establish a bond amount to guarantee this person will return to court for their hearing.

If a judge sets a bond amount, a defendant can now either pay a court directly to be released; or they can choose to outsource a private bail bond agency to obtain a release from jail. The bail bondsman takes on the responsibility of the defendant’s full bond amount, and only charging a small percentage of the bond amount as a non-refundable fee. This costs taxpayers nothing at all. Once this responsibility of bond is handed over to a bail bond company, it is their job to make sure the defendant shows up for court so that the bail bondsman can get their bond money back. Looking at past accounts and references, as well as recent statistics calculated by the U.S. Department Justice, this private bail bond system works very well and again, costs taxpayers zero dollars.

Allowing credit cards to be used for bail takes away from the economic advantages of bail bondsmen and agencies. These swipe-and-go systems are typically operated by out-of-state parties, online; so no one is there to see that defendants show up for court. Using credits cards for bail will more than likely lead to reduced attendance in court, repeat offenses, and of course extra costs for taxpayers because law enforcement will need to be used to track down those who skip bond. Credits cards for bail seems like a risky system.

Woods Bail Bonds Provides Bail Services You Can Trust in Indianapolis

Woods Bail Bonds

Woods Bail Bonds 317-876-9600

Call James Woods, Owner of Woods Bail Bonds in Indianapolis, for answers to your bail services questions today. Our team of highly trained and licensed bail bondsmen have decades of experience in the bail industry. We can offer a fast and friendly release from jail that doesn’t cost fellow taxpayers money at all! Call us today at 317-876-9600 and get more information about bail services in Indianapolis, IN and its surrounding counties.