Bob Block Bail Bonds: What Type of Bail Bond Should I Post

Know Your Options Before Posting Bond

When a person has been arrested and charged with a crime, their first course of action should be to contact a bail bondsman at a reputable bail bonds service to secure their release.

To learn more about bail services click on this page.

To learn more about working with a bail bondsman go here.

Every other aspect of life is negatively affected, because while in custody, a person can't:

• keep their job or go to school
• interact with their family
• meet obligations
• prepare a defense against the charges

A professional bail bondsman working for a reputable local Missouri bail bonds company can help a person regain their freedom during the pretrial period. This release from custody will be done faster, smoother, and more affordably than anything the arrestee could do on their own.

What Are the Ways That a Person Can Post Bail?

There are generally five main ways that an arrested person can post bail:

• Any arrestee is allowed by law to post their own bail. If they are unable to do so, it may be posted by anyone 18 years or older. When this option is used, the full amount must be paid IN CASH, hence the name “cash-only bond”.
  This type of bond can also be set by the judge when there has been a previous Failure to Appear or previous fines and/or restitution have not been paid.The major difficulty/disadvantage of this type of bond is that the arrestee must come up with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, something beyond the resources of most people.
• In Missouri, a person posting bail can choose to use real property as collateral, provided that it is worth at least as much as the bail amount. “Real property” means a home or land. For obvious reasons, this is referred to as a “property bond”.  Many people are reluctant to choose this option, because it can place their home at risk if the defendant fails to keep all court dates.
• In many cases, a defendant in Missouri can pay a 10% of the bond cash fee to the court and subsequently be released. This money is refunded if all court dates are kept, minus any court costs or fines. The released arrestee becomes totally legally responsible for the entire bond amount when a “10% cash bond” is posted. Consequently, this is not typically a valid option if the defendant does not have savings, property, or net worth equal to or greater than the entire bond amount.
• Bail may be posted by a licensed professional bail bondsman from a Missouri bail bonds company. The standard fee for the service is 10%-20% of the bond amount. The bail bond company charges this nonrefundable fee in exchange for assuming the risk of forfeiture of the full bond amount. This is known as a “surety bond”. This is the option chosen by many people who have been arrested.
• For minor crimes – and even then, only rarely – the court may order that a person be released “on their own recognizance”, with only a promise that to return for all scheduled court dates.

Why Do People Use a Missouri Bail Bonds Company?

Generally, people contact a local bail bonds company simply because the full cash amount of the bail set by the court is just too expensive. Most people don't have thousands – or TENS of thousands – or HUNDREDS of thousands – of dollars set aside that they can blithely hand over to the court, even temporarily.

Similarly, even when they DO have the entire amount of the bail bond available, most people are unsure about relinquishing access to such a large amount of money for the long pretrial period, which can be several months, or possibly even over a year.

There are other advantages

• Out of all the possibilities, a surety bond expedited by a surety company can be processed the fastest. Only professional bondsmen have the experience, the expertise, and the established relationship with the local court and law enforcement agencies that eliminates any unnecessary delays.
• A local bail bonds company can afford the arrestee the greatest flexibility. For example, if the family member who intends to cosign for the bond lives far away, a professional bondsman can make all the necessary long-distance arrangements.
• A local bail bonds company is the most available. For example, if a person was arrested after hours, on the weekend, or on a holiday, they may not be able to make the necessary financial arrangements with their bank for days. This means that they may have to spend extended time behind bars if they plan on posting their own bond. Professional bondsmen work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

The best way to stay out of jail is to not get arrested. But when the unexpected and unfortunate happens, a well-established and reputable bail bonds company can be your next best option. When you or someone you care about have need, pick up the phone and make that necessary call today.Call Bob Block Bail Bonds