How Does Bail Differ From a Bail Bond?

People often use the terms bail and bail bond interchangeably in casual conversation, but they actually refer to two distinct parts of the bail process.

What Is Bail? 

When the news discusses someone's arrest, they often mention how much their bail is. Bail is the amount of money that a person who has been taken into police custody must pay to be released. Serious offenders who are likely to flee the country or pose a threat to the public face higher bail amounts. Occasionally, a defendant may be denied bail entirely if they're considered too much of a flight risk or too dangerous.

What Are Bail Bonds?

Bail amounts can range from a few hundred dollars to over a million dollars, which means many people are unable to pay them upfront. Bail bonds allow people to leave jail without paying the total value of their bail out of pocket. Bail bonds were created to protect those who have been accused of a crime from being held by law enforcement without due process. Anyone who uses a bail bond to post bail for someone else takes responsibility for the defendant's appearance in court. If the accused doesn't show up for their court date, the individual or company that has posted the bail bond will be responsible for the full bail amount.

What Do Bail Bond Companies Do?

Bail bond companies are businesses that charge a fee to post bail for an individual in need. Their fees are generally 10-20 percent of the bond's value. Because these companies’ bail bond services make them liable for large sums of money, they often ask their clients to check in regularly or to consent to monitoring until their court dates.

Bail bond companies can often be the key to one’s freedom for the weeks or months between their arrest and the court date. It’s important to find a reliable organization. For more information about bail and bail bonds, read our Bail Bonds 101 breakdown or call A Wesley Chapel Bail Bonds LLC at 813-973-4444 today.