When you have a family member who has been arrested and who is awaiting trial, you naturally want them out as soon as possible. No one wants to be in jail any longer than necessary while they wait for their trial to begin. Court dates may take place weeks, months, or even years after an arrest. You could arrange for release by paying bail to the court – if you have the funds. Many defendants can’t raise enough to do this. Paying a smaller bail bond to a bail bond company can help them get released from jail faster. Of course, most people do not have much knowledge about how bail bonds work.
How do bail bonds work in Texas? Is it different from other states? How much will you have to pay in the state of Texas? These and other questions are sure to come up, and you want to find some quick and easy answers.
What Is the Process Like?
The amount of time that you will have to spend in jail before getting bailed out will vary. Most of the time, it shouldn’t be longer than 48 to 72 hours after your booking until your bail hearing. Different courts may be more or less busy than others before you can get your bail hearing, of course.
Bail can typically be posted in three ways. There is cash bail, which is where the defendant gives the court a check or cash for the amount of their bail. In cases where the bail set is relatively low, this could be possible. Then, the defendant could be released from jail until court.
However, when bail is set high, a bail bond is the better choice. This is when the bail bondsman posts the bail bond for the arrestee for a fee. The bail bond agent doesn’t pay the full amount of bail set by the court. The surety bond issued by the agent acts as a guarantee that the bail will be paid in the event the defendant doesn’t show up for their court date.
The arrestee will have to pay the bail agent a fee for their service. After all, they are taking on a big risk by providing the bond. The amount of the fee can be up to 15% of the bail amount set by the courts. Keep in mind that this is not part of the bail. It’s a fee that the Texas bail bonds company will keep.
Property bonds are another type of bail that can be posted. These are not as common, but they can and do still happen. They are similar to regular bonds, but rather than the financial guarantee being provided by the bail agent, the guarantee is derived from property the arrestee has.
How Is Bail Typically Determined?
How do bail bonds work in Texas when determining the cost of bail? The amount of bail required will be determined at the bail hearing. For starters, it’s going to depend partially on the criminal charge. Different types of crime in Texas will have different charges according to the bail schedule. This can differ from one county to another.
However, that’s not the only factor. Other elements could cause the cost to rise at the bail hearing, as you will see below.
For example, if the arrestee is considered to be a flight risk, the bail could be higher. If they are considered a safety risk, then the presence of prior convictions, restraining orders, and whether they are on probation could affect the cost as well. The judge will also consider the severity of the crime.
Those who are charged with a crime like multiple murders, for example, will generally have a much harder time getting bail unless they have an outstanding criminal defense team. Even then, the amount of the bond might be high.
How Do Bail Bonds Work in Texas for Different Crimes?
You will find that the basic process with a bail bond company is going to be essentially the same across the state of Texas. There could be some differences in the cost of the bail based on the type of crime committed, as mentioned.
The answer to how do bail bonds work in Texas is that they work relatively simply. They are about the same as you will find in other states. If you need a reputable bail bondsman in Texas, use our directory of Texas bail bonds agents today!