Common Misconceptions about Bail Bonds

Due to the amount of information circulating about posting bail, bail bonds and bail agents, it’s easy to be misinformed. Especially with Hollywood often adding their own spin to the bail process, you may have a lot of questions about bail bonds.  In this post we’ll have a look at a few common misconceptions about bail bonds.

1. You need to negotiate with the bail agent

This one has been widely circulated by popular movies and t.v. shows and is in fact untrue, the cost of posting bail is determined by the crime’s classification and is in no way negotiable.  While the cost might vary from one district to the next, there’s no way for you to change the bottom line – once the amount is set, that is what the jail or courthouse will require.

2. You need cash to post bail

Another common misconception circulated by the entertainment industry is that you need “cold hard cash” to bail someone out of jail.  The truth is in our day and age, a lot of bail bond agencies accept alternate forms of payment which can include: debit cards, wire transfers, direct bank deposit or American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa.

3. You need to pay the full amount

Understandably, many people believe in order to bail someone out of jail you need to pay the bonds agent the full amount of the bail.  In reality, most bail bond agencies only require a payment of 10-20% of the actual cost up front.  Depending on the agency they may even offer payment plans – we recommend discussing your options with your bonds agent.

We hope that this post has helped inform you about common misconceptions about bail bonds.  If you have any questions about the bail bond process or need help sorting fact from fiction we would be happy to get you the answers you need.