Types of Bail Bonds

Bail bonds refer to money that is posted by a person or bail bondsman to ensure that a person who has been arrested will appear at a court hearing if he or she is released. A judge will make the decision whether bail is allowed in a criminal case. If the judge does allow it, and the accused party posts bail, the defendant is released.

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Standard Bail Bonds

Standard bail bonds are a unique type of insurance loan. Generally only insurance agents licensed to write bail bonds can post these types of jail release and appearance bonds. They are granted when a friend or family member contacts the bail agent before the defendant is released. Bail bonds are purchased by paying a small premium, usually 10% of the total bond amount along with any associated fees, such as storage, recording, phone calls and travel.

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Federal Bail Bonds

Federal bail bonds can be obtained in most places of the U.S. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bail bondsmen usually work on an "on call" basis whenever they are away from their offices.  Due to the nature of federal crimes, federal bail bonds are usually of a higher risk and price than standard bail bonds, so most bail bond agencies will ask for a higher deposit.

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Immigration Bail Bonds

Immigration bonds are for people who are charged with crimes involving foreign nationals and generally difficult to get. Immigration bonds involve a lot of risk and are therefore expensive.

 

Surety and Property Bonds

Surety bail bonds involve contracts and stipulations, such as driving school or rehab preconditions. In addition to the precondition, collateral is required for the bail amount. Property bail bonds are used when property is used for the collateral, however, these are very complicated and are completely dependent on the value of the property in relation to the amount needed for bail issuance.