When a person lands in the Birmingham Alabama jail, the first thought would be how to secure his freedom. The legal option for getting out of jail is by posting bail. Bail has different forms, including a secured bond, cash, or property; these are the types that the arrested individual may present to the court as a guarantee of his appearance on the scheduled court date (or anytime as required). If he (the defendant) fails to show up, the court takes the bail, and the accused will face arrest. If you are considering posting a secured bond you will need to contact a bail bond company like Bob Block Bail Bonds.
Setting the Bail
A court judge sets the bail. Most jails have formulated standard bail terms and ask specific bail amounts for common crimes to help those who want to get out of jail immediately. The defendant can quickly get out of jail by paying the set amount.
The defendant may ask the judge to reduce the bail amount if he is not capable of paying the amount set by the court. An individual can present this request during the arraignment (when the defendant appears for the very first time in court) or during the special bail hearing, depending on the state procedures.
Understanding the Bail Conditions
The people who were bailed out are required to comply with the “conditions of release”. Upon violation of these conditions, the judge will revoke the bail and the defendant will be ordered to return to jail (re-arrest). One common bail requirement is for the defendant to “obey all laws”. Other conditions may be dependent on the nature of the crime committed by the suspect. For instance, a suspect arrested due to domestic violence may be ordered never to contact the plaintiff.
Bail Payment
Bail may be settled in any of the following forms: cheque or cash for the full bail amount, property which is worth the bail amount, a bond which is a payment guarantee for the total amount of bail, or payment waiver. If the judge allows posting of bail, the defendant must appear in court without delay whenever called upon. Ordered by the court to do so, since, this is a condition of the bail.
However, Bail bonds often have a 10% fee of the total amount and have advantages or disadvantages over cash bails.
Getting the Accused Out
People are sometimes released “on their own recognizance” (O.R.) and compelled to sign a show-up promise. In such cases, the defendant does not need to post bail. For this to happen, the defendant must request to be released on his own recognizance during the arraignment process. If the judge denies the request, the defendant can ask for a lower bail amount.
Bailing someone out of jail is a simple process. However, the court may ask the posting of a specific bail amount to facilitate your release. If you lack the amount requested, you may call your bail bondsman for assistance.