WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET ARRESTED IN FLORIDA

If you have ever had a family member, friend, or loved one arrested and was facing incarceration, we all know that this can be a stressful and scary situation for most. It’s important to understand the process of what comes next and what steps you can take to get them out of jail as fast as possible.
 

Right after a person has been arrested, they will be taken to a police station or county jail for booking. There they will be fingerprinted, paperwork will be processed and then they will be scheduled to appear before a judge. The judge is responsible for determining their bail if any and the conditions for release. For serious offenses or when they are dealing with people with a past criminal history, the judge is likely to set a bail amount.
 

Bail is basically a cash deposit that is held by the court, and helps the court feel confident that the accused will appear for their scheduled court dates. Depending on the past criminal history and the severity of the accused crime, bail can be set anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over one million. Ouch!
 

If the accused is able to post the full amount of bail to the court, they are free to bail themselves out of jail until the court date. However, many people don’t have the means to afford to post the full amount of their posted bail, which can be thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. This is where bail bond agencies come to the rescue. Bail agencies give the court the full bail amount on your behalf in exchange for a 10% fee – this makes it possible to get someone out of jail without having to post the full bail amount.
 

Let’s say a relative is arrested and their bail is set at $5,000. They have three options:

• They pay the $5,000 in cash, which is then given to the court and held until the conclusion of the case; In order to be released from jail on this type of bail – a cash bail – the full amount of the bail must be paid to the jail or the court. This cash is held until the defendant’s case is over. If the defendant does not appear at all court hearings until his or her case is complete, the cash bail is forfeited and the money goes to the court.

• Remain in jail until the conclusion of the case; or

• Pay 10% of the bail amount to a bail bonds agency ($500), and get out of jail. This is called a surety bond. It is an alternative to a cash bond. When a surety bond is posted by a bail bondsman, it means that a bail bond company has guaranteed the court that you will attend all of your hearings. If the defendant does not appear in court as ordered or is not returned to jail by the bail bond company, the bail bond company will pay the full amount of the bond to the court. The non-refundable fee for most surety bonds is 10 percent of the bond. In other words, for a $1,000 bond, $100 is due to the bail bond company. In many cases, collateral is required, especially for higher bonds. A co-signer is also often required. The co-signer would be responsible for the full value of the bond to the bail bond company if the defendant doesn’t appear.
   

This is why for many people, using a bail bond agency is the fastest and cheapest way to get someone out of jail. Bail bond agencies handle all of the paperwork, deal with the court, and know how to get someone out of jail in a matter of hours.
 

If someone you know is facing jail time, give us a call. We’re on-call 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year – we never close! We offer complete, end-to-end handling of your bail situation, whatever it may be, and will give you the confidence and privacy you deserve in this type of situation. We treat all of our clients like family and ensure that the entire process is done with the courtesy everyone deserves.