After the arrest and the booking, the first thing people want to know is, “How soon can I get out of jail?” Most people are granted bail at the bail hearing, unless it is a capital crime or the court believes that the defendant will leave the jurisdiction. It is also true that most defendants do not have enough cash on hand to pay the bail ordered by the court. That is when the bail bondsman becomes so important. The defendant wants his freedom until trial to assist with his defence. The Sheriff does not want to keep every defendant in his over-crowded jail until trial.
The concept of pledging surety in exchange for freedom until trial is not new. The first recorded instance of bail was over 4,000 years ago in the Middle East. In modern times, bail bondsmen place an irrevocable bond with the court, guaranteeing that the defendant will appear at court when ordered. The bondsman makes a private arrangement with the defendant (or his family) for a percentage of the amount of the bail (usually 10% or 15%). This is the fee charged for the service of posting the bond with the court.
Of course, all defendants do not show up at court. Most of us have seen ‘bounty hunter’ shows on TV and watched the detective work employed to find the absconding defendant and enjoyed seeing the capture. While exciting to watch, this can be extremely dangerous and is often done by a bounty hunter contracted by the bail bondsman. The bail bondsman is responsible for paying the bail to the court, so is motivated to see that defendants appear as scheduled. Without their services, our legal system would find it very difficult to function and our tax dollars would have to pay for a lot more jails.
Bonnie’s Bail Bonds has been providing Bail Bonds in Elk City, Oklahoma for over 10 years. This family-owned and -operated company has been known for their reliable and discreet services when people are in trouble and need a bail bond. They have been serving the citizens of Oklahoma with their expert bonding services whenever the call comes, 24/7.
