If a family member or friend calls you to ask for a bail bond after they’re arrested, it is a decision that you should make after learning more about the process. It is a nice way to help a loved one out when they need a helping hand, however, there are many important bits of information you should know.

A bail bond is an amount of money paid on a person’s behalf in exchange for their release from jail.  Posting a bond is an agreement that your loved one will appear in court on their scheduled appearance date. Essentially you take responsibility for the individual whom you are bonding out of jail by posting their bail bond.

If your loved one does not appear in court, you will lose the money or property posted on their behalf. You are then responsible for additional fees as well, such as those incurred to locate the individual and bring them to court.

Most people work with companies to post bail bonds. It costs much less to work with a bailbonds Vista company because they charge just 10% of the court-ordered bond amount whereas paying the court requires the full payment amount. For example, a $35,000 bond turns into a $3,500 bond when using a bail bonding company like Acme Bail Bonds.

If the person whom you bail out of jail does not appear and you’ve worked with a bonding company, you are responsible for paying the full amount of the bail. This is the amount the court set for the release of the individual. You also lose any collateral placed on the bail, such as a vehicle or house.

If you post bail and the individual appears in court, you are relieved of any duties of the bail bond.