Television and other forms of media can greatly influence a person’s opinion and misconceptions about bail and bail bonds. Many people only know about bail from what they see on TV dramas where a judge might set bail astronomically high or, in contrast, release someone with no bail required. In real life, a Bail Bonds Agency in Burleson Texas helps people who have been arrested and cannot afford cash bail.
Bail Schedules
In reality, many criminal offenses have an automatic bail amount that is set by a schedule. This allows many defendants to post bail or a surety bond from a Bail Bonds Agency in Burleson Texas quickly instead of having to wait until the next morning or stay in jail through the weekend. The schedule lists amounts for the more common crimes.
Cash Bail vs. Surety Bond
These TV shows usually don’t focus on people who can’t afford a relatively low amount of bail and have to stay behind bars even though they have not been convicted of a crime. Bail set at $3,000 may be totally out of reach for the working poor, for example. However, when they apply for a surety bond with an organization such as Rogers’ Bail Bonds, they only pay a percentage of the bail as a service fee. Often, that is 10 percent, which is $300 in this example.
Consequences of Staying in Jail
Dramas focusing on lawyers defending and prosecuting individuals in court tend to skip past details about what happens when a low-income person has to stay in jail before trial. The family may lose their housing because they have lost the person’s income. They have been living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to get by, and now paying all the bills is impossible.
Statistics verify that defendants who have no way to get out of jail accept plea bargains at a significantly higher percentage than those who can leave. Many states do not allow bail bonding agencies, resulting in large numbers of individuals having to wait behind bars or accept a plea deal. Contact us to learn how to apply for a surety bond.
