When a person is arrested for a crime, he or she is held at a jail until the time of arraignment. At that time, a judge will deny or set bail which can be paid in cash, collateral or through the use of bail bonds scranton pa.
How is Bail Set?
Within a short time, usually two to three days, the defendant will attend a preliminary bail trial. The judge has the option to either deny bail, meaning the defendant must remain in jail until his trial, or set a bail amount.
The amount of bail is proportionate to the seriousness of the charges and the judge’s assessment of the defendant’s flight risk. The easiest way to find out whether bail has been set is to communicate with the jail directly, or to communicate through a lawyer.
How Do I Pay Bail?
Any individual can pay bail for any defendant. There are three ways that bail requirements can be met. The most obvious is to pay the entire cost of the bail, in cash, to the court. Unfortunately, bail can cost many thousands of dollars, making this untenable for the majority of defendants.
The other two options are to provide collateral property to the court directly or to hire a bail bondsman. Some courts accept real property such as land, a home, or buildings in lieu of jail.
Hiring a bail bondsman is a more affordable option, as they operate by assessing a small portion of the bail as a service fee. Some bail bondsman also offer payment plans. The defendant will have to pay the fee, typically around 10% of bail, in advance. The rest of the amount will be insured by the client’s collateral. When the defendant shows up for the court date, the collateral will be returned.
