Submitted by: J. Briere
If you have ever watched the show “Cops”, or any other police reality show for that matter, then you ve seen the line: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. While this may be true, the time before a suspect actually reaches a court room could be days, weeks, months, and in the some extreme cases up to a year or more. In some cases this could make for tragic consequences for those who are innocent. There are ways to circumvent sitting in a cell waiting for a trial date to come. One particular way to do this is by posting bail or enlisting the help of a bail bondsman. These are more favorable options than busting out of prison, a la “Shawkshank Redemption”, or waiting for the real criminal to be caught, if the suspect actually is innocent.
If making bail is not an option because the total amount is too high then enlisting the help of a bail bondsman can mean the difference between sitting in county lock up and sitting in your living room watching your favorite Friday night reality show. This is known as a surety bond. When a bail bondsman agrees to post bail the defendant is required to produce 10% of the total amount of bail through the use of a cosigner. By accepting aid from a bail bondsman one is essentially entering into an agreement with the bail bondsman, the courts, and the cosigner that he or she is promising to appear in court on the appointed day.
While some people may use this second chance at freedom as an opportunity to skip town and leave their worries behind others can use this as a chance to prove that they are innocent. If someone does skip town while on bail the consequences are only negative. Not only is the person that cosigned out the money they have invested in getting the defendant out but the case of the defendant is only worsened by additional charges. This only furthers the fact that the defendant is guilty of whatever crime he or she is being charged for. On the other hand if a person posts bail, whether it is through a bail bondsman or not, and appears for the appointed court date it could have a positive effect on how the court views the defendant, since obviously an innocent person would not run. A well trained bail bonds also has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the court system and can facilitate aid and assistance to those awaiting trial.
Of course going through a bail bondsman is not always a necessary option. The courts may in fact allow for defendants to post bail in other ways. If a person is a low flight risk they may issue a citation release, or cite out, in which the arresting officer issues a citation informing the defendant that they are to show up on an appointed date. Other forms of bail include recognizance, property bond, or an immigration bond if the defendant is an illegal immigrant.
About the Author: If you’re looking for a bail bond company in Colorado, visit the
All Day All Night Bail Bonds
website to learn more about the process and
how they can help
.
Source:
isnare.com
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