According to the legal principle of Presumption of Innocence, every citizen is assumed innocent until they are proven guilty. Detaining a person for several days or weeks violates their constitutional right to an immediate trial.
The bail bond system is one way to secure your rights. Not everyone, however, is allowed to be released on bail. There are some scenarios where you will have to make a formal request to get bail. Each state has a different bail bond system but the gist of it all is similar: the defendant can continue with the court sessions or attend trial without doing any jail time yet.
Hence, it is crucial to know how the whole system works from the beginning to the end. Consider the following concepts.
What are the Bail Bonds Basics?
Bail is the monetary assurance issued to the court to temporarily free the defendant from jail. Bail serves as an assurance that the defendant will appear in court for trial. Therefore, a bail bond refers to the undertaking made by the accused or surety to the court of law to forfeit the money if the accused fails to return to court for trial. Defendants can seek help from a bail bond agent in Raleigh, NC.
Wait for the Magistrate to Determine the Bail
Bail ensures that the defendant makes themselves available for trial without having to be kept in custody. In most cases, the court sets the amount of bail, which the defendant should pay in a certain amount of time.
Majority of the courts have predetermined bail amounts for various offenses. The judge can also opt to deny the defendant a bail if they are a flight risk or a hazard to the community or witnesses. The defendant, however, is less likely to be regarded as a flight risk if he has family ties in the locality or has no criminal record in the past.
Payments To Be Made to the Court
After the court sets the bail amount in a court hearing, the defendant can remit the bail to the court clerk during working hours or at the county jail if the time does not allow. The two institutions are supposed to issue a receipt for the payment to show that the bail was posted. In this case, you may consider hiring a bail bond agent to get you out.
Attend All the Court Proceedings
If the defendant fails to appear during all the court proceedings, the court will postpone the hearing and issue an arrest warrant. The defendant will be allowed to clarify why they did not attend the hearing. They, therefore, must convince the court that either he had an inevitable delay or a case of misapprehension. On the other hand, if they are unable to attend the forfeiture hearing, then the court will retain the bond amount.
If you have been accused of a crime, know that you still have rights. There are professional bails bond agencies ready to assist you. Get in touch with a bail bond agent today.