Even if you're someone who's had to occasionally turn to bail bonds services in the past, it can be confusing wondering what to do any time one is necessary. Well, here's something that you may not know; you cannot get them in every state in the U.S. It's true. There are actually four states; Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, and Wisconsin, where commercial bail bonds are banned. You can still get out of jail before your trial if you can put up 10% of the total bond yourself, but this process is a lot easier when there is a bondsman in the picture. That said; try not to get arrested in the four states mentioned above unless you're sitting on a pile of cash that you can tap into if you need it for a deposit.



One thing you may not know is that there are some places you can turn to for bail bonds that you might never have expected would provide them. AAA offers them to their customers. That's right; the American Automobile Associate provides a service to its members who manage to get themselves jailed for traffic offenses. This is good because it keeps the law enforcement community from keeping people incarcerated for long periods of time prior to trial if the defendant doesn't automatically plead guilty at the arraignment.

Bond agents will usually charge a fee that's equivalent to 10 percent of the total amount of the bail required before they finalize the process. Be aware that such fees aren't refundable; they represent the majority of the company's income. Of course, if you can pony up the required amount of the bond yourself then you won't need to use a bail bondsman. However, if the bond required by the court is very high, then you will indeed need the services of a good firm. If you're arrested somewhere where you can put up the 10 percent cash alternative, this deposit is refundable once the case is concluded and there is no violation of the bail terms. There is a greater incentive for the defendant or the persons putting up the deposit for the defendant to forego use of a bail bond service. Unfortunately, many of us do not have the resources or option to ask family or friends to monetarily guarantee our appearance in court in these circumstances.

Each situation is unique, so it's best to make decisions based on the circumstances at hand. If you do have to use a service and the bond is quite large, say, $100,000 or more, then the bondsman is within his rights to put a mortgage or lien against the defendant's home or other property in order to collect the full sum if the defendant flees the country, or is otherwise unable to appear in court on the proper day and time. They are also within their rights to hire a bounty hunter to find you and drag you back to jail if you've jumped bail. A bail bond company can also sue you or any co-signers to recover any monies lost due to your non-appearance in court.

The bottom line is, if you use this service you'd better be prepared to show up in court when you're obligated to, or your life will get a whole lot worse. Besides, isn't it better to stand up in court and take your punishment like an adult, other than run out on your responsibilities and leave a big mess for other people to clean up?