How Bail Bonds Work

How do bail bonds Berks County PA work? In most cases, a defendant posting a cash bond requests that a bond officer make sure the defendant shows up for their court date. The defendant then signs a bond agreement, giving the bond officer a lien on the defendant’s personal property.

What is Bail?

How do bonds work with regard to bail? Generally, most bonds require a defendant to post bail. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. For instance, the suspect may not be a candidate for SSI benefits, if they are elderly, disabled, a child, or an unemployed individual. Once the defendant appears in court, the judge takes the agreement into consideration and decides whether or not to release the defendant. Once the judge decides or the proceeding is finished, the bail agent then posts the bond amount, plus any additional funds that were paid to the bail agent (such as towards the final bond amount).

Judge Proceedings

The judge will also consider the defendant’s criminal history when determining whether or not he or she will be granted bail. Specifically, the judge will consider whether the defendant has prior criminal history, has any outstanding warrants out for their arrest, or has any outstanding fines. The judge will also consider how long the suspect has been residing in the county jail and how long he or she has had access to the jail. While some jurisdictions prefer to keep jail records on file, the law requires that they be provided to the prosecution upon request. And, defendants who violate their bail agreements can face additional charges, such as obstruction of justice.

Collateral Damages

Another way bail bonds companies make money is through “collateral”. Collateral can come in many forms, but in most cases, it is property or real property that is seized by the County or State Court for the purposes of providing financial security for the creditor. (In the case of some private bail bonds companies, investors may provide collateral, although this is not common.) Typically, the amount of collateral that a creditor has to secure a bond is based upon the seriousness of the defendant’s charges. If the charges are relatively minor, such as obstruction of justice, the amount of collateral that a creditor has to secure a bond is not substantial, whereas if the charges are of a more serious nature, the value of the collateral increases.