Bail Bondsman in Artesia, CA

JR’s Bail Bonds Artesia – 24/7 Bail Bond Services

The other option for pretrial freedom is securing an own recognizance release. The court grants this release during the bail hearing to eligible applicants. With this option, you do not need to deposit a financial guarantee with the court to obtain freedom pending trial. 

Despite these options, posting bail is the most common way of securing release pending court hearings. Bail acts as a security for future court attendance.

Unfortunately, many defendants in California cannot afford bail, and they are forced to remain in pretrial detention until the case is concluded. However, you do not have to stay behind bars awaiting case determination, as the law allows you to post bail bonds or property bonds instead of cash bail. Each bail option is tailored to suit your charges and financial needs. With bail bonds, you hire an Artesia bail bonds firm at a fee of 10% of the full bail. In return, the company deposits a bond with the court, promising to repay the full bail or owe the court a similar amount when you forfeit. Conversely, a property bond allows you to attach a lien on your property so that when you forfeit, the court can initiate a foreclosure to recover the bail amount. 

Defendants with cash to post bail upfront can use cash bail to exit pretrial detention. Based on the court’s or arresting agency’s policies, you can even pay cash bail using a credit card, personal check, cashier’s check, money order, or traveler’s check.  When you attend court and abide by all pretrial release conditions, the court refunds your money regardless of the trial outcome in sixty to ninety days. However, when you fail to appear, you will forfeit the funds. 

Reasons Cash Bail and Property Bonds are Rarely Used

Many defendants rarely use a property bond to post bail because placing a lien on the property takes time, translating to a prolonged stay behind bars. Usually, you must present the court with proof that the property, including the house, car, or jewelry, belongs to you. After proving ownership, you must find a property appraiser to determine the property’s fair market value. Usually, the court accepts a property bond if the property’s value is twice or three times the bail value. The whole process could take days to complete, extending your stay in jail. If you secure release and fail to comply with release terms, the court forecloses the property and sells it to recoup losses, leading to the loss of a lifetime investment. Therefore, consider a property bail if you have exhausted other bail options like cash bail.

When you can afford bail, it is easy to be tempted to pay cash. However, the problem with cash bail is that if the authorities believe the funds were obtained through illegal means, like drug crimes, the court will place the bail on hold. You will not leave jail until a hearing is scheduled for you to prove the funds used for cash bail are legitimate. If you successfully establish that the funds are not associated with crime, the court will accept your bail, and you will leave custody. Nevertheless, the court will not reject your bail if you cannot prove the funds are lawfully obtained. They can even increase the amount you should pay. 

Suspicious cash bail results in a hold because if the bail money is a product of crime, it will be a small incentive to compel you to attend future court proceedings, increasing the risk of FTA. 

Even when the court accepts your cash bail, a hold results in a prolonged stay in jail. So, even when you have the money for cash bail readily available, you might want to keep the money for other uses, like hiring a defense attorney, particularly when charged with a narcotics offense. Instead of paying bail in cash, you can enlist the services of a reputable Artesia bail bonds firm to keep a low profile. The court will not be suspicious of the bond deposited by a certified bail bondsman, streamlining the release process. 

Artesia Bail Bonds

Bail bonds are the most frequently used bail type. It lets you post bail that you could not otherwise afford. Your bail bondsman deposits the bond, a payment to the court on your behalf, to guarantee your future court attendance. You use a bail bond when you cannot afford bail or want to avoid the property bond and cash bail obstacles that could delay your pretrial release.

Bail bond companies are profit-making organizations that generate revenue from charging bail premiums for their clients’ services. The company also profits from property repossession when defendants skip court, and the bond is forfeited. They sell the property used as collateral for the bond to recover the lost money. Bail bondsmen provide services that include posting bail, ensuring adherence to bail conditions, and court attendance.

Bail Bonds Eligibility

It is difficult to deal with an Artesia bail bonds firm when a defendant is in police custody. Therefore, they call a loved one or friend to engage the bail bondsman. If you are helping a loved one with bail bonds, you will likely become a cosigner. When you call the bail bondsman, the bail bondsman will ask several questions to determine bail bond eligibility. The questions asked might seem personal, but they are crucial in determining the risk of underwriting the bond. The details the company will demand of the bail applicants or cosigners are:

• Citizenship
• Credit rating
• Family status
• Employment status
• Homeownership

The Artesia bail bonds company will also ask questions about the defendant. The details help them determine if they should demand collateral to secure the bond. Posting bail bonds involves little paperwork, like completing the bail application forms, preparing the bail bond agreement, and making payments. 

Bail Bonds Requirements

You must be above 18 and a lawful resident to cosign or indemnify a bail bond. Additionally, your Artesia bail bonds firm will need the following details from the defendant:

• Income evidence, such as pay stubs 
• An up-to-date identification document, like a driver’s license or state-issued personal identification 
• Proof of residency, such as utility bills 

Further, you, the cosigner, must furnish the bail bondsman with the following:

• The type of charges the defendant faces
• Information on the jail where the defendant is being held
• The defendant’s age
• The defendant’s  booking number, if you have already been processed

The Bail Bonds Procedure

When you provide all the requirements, the bail bondsman will draw a contract containing the bond terms, including payment of a bail premium of 10%. The percentage is only a fraction of the full bail, and it is all the defendant needs to deposit to regain freedom, not the full amount. Some companies even offer discounts to defendants with legal representation, union members, military members, and government workers, meaning you can pay much less to regain freedom after arrest. 

The cosigner can pay the fee using a credit card, money order, or cash. Even the premium can prove difficult for many people to raise. However, this should not worry you because many Artesia bail bonds provide repayment plans. Here, the indemnitor deposits a fraction of the total fee, and the balance is paid in installments spread over an agreed-upon period. 

Once the fee is paid and the contract signed, the bail bondsman starts working on the defendant’s release. Securing a bail bond takes around twenty minutes. In comparison, the defendant release process takes between 30 minutes and a few hours, depending on the traffic in the facility, release protocols, and available staff.

Bail Collateral

In addition to the premium fee, many Artesia bail bonds will require collateral to secure the bond. If your bail bondsman demands collateral, the cosigner must sign, forfeiting their property to ensure the bond in the event of a forfeiture. The company will demand collateral if the defendant is considered a high risk or the amount involved is colossal. 

Property is not the only collateral bail bondsmen accept. You can deposit cash in an escrow account, and once the case concludes and the bond is exonerated, you can receive the money back. When you use property, the lien will stay in place until the case concludes. 

The company will release the collateral when the court exonerates the bond deposited by the bail bonds firm, and you have cleared the bail premiums. Nevertheless, when the bond is forfeited, the company will repossess the collateral and liquidate it to recoup losses and the premium remainder if you were still paying. If you act as a cosigner and the bail bonds service demands collateral, you must read the contract carefully to understand your obligations to safeguard your property.

Cosigner Responsibilities

If your friend or family member in jail needs help with bail, you will be the person to engage the Artesia bail bonds firm. When you sign the bail bond agreement for the defendant, you become a cosigner. Cosigning a bond is a huge responsibility. You become responsible for the defendant’s court appearances. You must ensure the defendant returns to court and abides by pretrial release terms once they are out of custody. Additionally, you pay the fee the bail bondsman requires for their services. 

Additionally, you assume the financial obligation of paying the full bond if the defendant jumps bail. This is a huge obligation that could alter your finances. Therefore, before committing to this responsibility, ensure that you know the defendant well and trust them to comply with court requirements. If the defendant abides by the release terms and the case ends, your responsibility ends.

Lastly, you must continue making monthly payments towards bail premium repayment even after the defendant exits pretrial detention if you agreed on a repayment plan. Once you pay off the premium, you will not owe the company any other amount unless they introduce hidden fees, like renewal charges. Therefore, find an honest company that offers detailed quotations with no hidden costs. Partnering with the right company could also mean they will not demand collateral for bail of at most $100,000.

Jumping Bail

Not showing up in court when you have a scheduled hearing under certain circumstances can attract additional charges for FTA. Typically, when you jump bail with no legitimate reasons and fail to take action to remedy the situation, you forfeit bail. After bail forfeiture, you will owe Artesia bail bonds equivalent to the total bail. 

You can avoid a forfeiture even after the notice by appearing before the judge within 180 days with legitimate reasons for not attending court. Working with competent and responsive bail bondsmen reduces the risk of forfeiture. Your bail bonds firm will strive to keep you updated on scheduled court hearings and sometimes can even take you to court to minimize the risk of jumping bail. 

Jail and Court Information

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

211 W Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

213-229-1700

Bellflower Courthouse

10025 Flower St
Bellflower, CA 90706

562-345-3300

Find Competent Bail Bondsmen Near Me

When someone you know or care about is arrested in Artesia and you want to help them regain freedom as early as possible, you should consider purchasing a bail bond. JR’s Bail Bonds offers affordable, quality, responsive bail bond services for a stress-free pretrial release. Call us at 888-577-2245 to discuss your eligibility for our services and start working on the defendant’s release.