What happens when someone you know is arrested and put in jail? How can you get the person released out of jail with a bail payment? Where do you start?
We specialize in servicing bail in Orange County, California, so we’ll describe what happens in the bail bonds process in Orange County for you here. Other counties have similar processes for bail bonds services, so check your local county websites for further information.
First of all, what is bail? Basically, a bail bond is a financial guarantee that a professional bail bonds company puts up on the arrested person’s behalf to release them from jail. It’s the preferred alternative to the person being held in jail until trial. By paying a bail of $5,000, $10,000 or more, a bail bonds agency is essentially putting forth a financial ensuring to the court that the defendant will show up at court on the date.
When someone is arrested and taken to the Orange County Jail, the average booking time is about three hours. The arresting officers will notify the person of their right to a bail, and that’s when our bail bonds company can help the person.
The person posting bail would pay roughly a 10% payment for bail ($1,000 for $10,000 bail; $500 for $5,000 bail) and guarantees that the arrested person would show up in court for the trial date. Premiere Bail Bonds can then post the bail bond, with an expected release in a 2hr. – 6 hr. timeframe. We work with you to get paperwork completed to post bail for the person in custody. We can send paperwork via fax, email, or even have an in-person visit. When the person is ready for release from the Orange County jail, the person will be able to call you. In addition, there is a lobby that you can wait in to meet the released person.
That’s the bail bonds process in a nutshell and for the most part is fairly uncomplicated. It only gets a bit troublesome if the defendant does not appear in court at his or her’s trial date. That’s when we have to put a search on to find the person within six months. If unsuccessful, the person posting bail would then owe us for the full court amount, in order for us to pay the court.