In the court of law, a person who is arrested and charged with a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty. As a defendant, you need to show that you are not guilty of the presented charge and you will do it through a court hearing. In a court hearing, you will appear before a judge, and you will have to explain your side of the story. The trial doesn’t happen immediately after you are arrested. It can occur after days, weeks or even months after your arrest. You may be allowed to be released in jail before the date of your trial if you are granted bail.
Bail is not granted to everyone, including the repeat offenders, those who are charged with felony crimes, or those who are a threat to the community’s safety. Besides these people, bail is granted to everyone.
There are five types of bail that you can use depending on what is more applicable to you. Here is a list of the bond available for defendants:
Cash Bail
From the term itself, cash bail is paid by the defendant in full amount using cash, check, or a credit card. It is ideal for people who have the means on hand because there is less hassle on them.
Surety Bond
A surety bond is an agreement among the accused, a local bail bond company and a third party who will make sure the defendant appears in court on the day of his trial. The bail bonds company will pay the bail for the defendant in full. In return, the defendant would be responsible for paying typically 10% of the total bail amount. Defendants who don’t have enough cash to bail choose this type of bail.
Cite Out
There are times when the accused may be released through citation. The offender does not have a booking number, but he is given the date on which he will return to court. It is mostly granted to offenders who committed light and non-felony crimes. It is also to help the arresting officers save time.
Property Bond
If the offender does not have cash but has a property under his name, he can use it instead as property bond. A property bond is a physical property that can include a real estate to be granted released until the court trial. If the court allows, it will have power or lien on the property, and if the accused doesn’t appear in a trial, the court can do whatever it pleases to the park. There are cases when the property should be twice as much as the amount of the bail before it gets allowed as property bail. Also, some states don’t allow property bonds at all.
Release on Own Personal Recognizance
In this case, no bail needs to be settled due to the judge’s discretion. It typically happens when the offender has a good history, has been living in the area for a while and holds regular employment. The defendant only needs to sign an agreement that he will return to court on the specified trial day.
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