Hassle-Free Bail Bonds for
West Hollywood Jail

An accused person or a defendant is provided the right to freedom prior to conviction. Bail provides the defendant that right. Bail is not a means to punish the defendant before conviction. It is a security provided when the defendant seeks release from jail before trial. The purpose of bail is to guarantee the defendant’s appearance at all court proceedings at a later time. By posting bail, the defendant can wait for his or her future trials outside of jail instead of sitting in jail for weeks or months. Posting bail for criminal cases can be done by paying for the entire bond amount, pledging one’s property to the court, or the fastest and safest method: a bail bond.

A bail bond is a surety bond issued by a bail bond company.

The defendant and his or her co-signer must enter into an agreement with a bail bond company to execute the bail bond.

These are three parties to a bail bond agreement:

• Surety –bail bond company who will post the bond on behalf of the defendant
• Principal – defendant (aka arrestee).
• Obligee – a public entity (particularly, a court that is requiring the appearance of the defendant)

By choosing the bail bond option, the defendant does not need to deposit the entire bail amount with the court.

The bail bond company is essentially guaranteeing, to the court, the appearance of the defendant for all court appearances.

For this service, the defendant (or defendant’s co-signer) will pay the bail bond company a percentage of the full bond amount.

When a person has been arrested, the defendant will need to attend all necessary court appearances until their criminal case is resolved.

Depending on the situation, the defendant may have to appear at many different future court hearings, including the arraignment, bail hearings, preliminary hearings, trial and sentencing.

Release by using a bail bond allows the defendant to be free from jail so they can attend all of their court appearances.

When somebody is arrested, there’s an existing bail schedule for specific types of offenses that is available in every jail.

If the defendant is found to be eligible for bail, the amount will be determined during the booking process.

The jailor can simply go to the bail schedule to determine the bail amount based upon the crime that was alleged.

During the booking process, or shortly thereafter, the defendant (family member/attorney/friend) will contact a bail bond company to make bail bond arrangements.

With today’s technology, most of the paperwork required when obtaining a bail bond can be conducted in a few minutes by phone, email, fax and online signing services such as DocuSign.

After the paperwork has been finalized with the bail bond company, the bail bondsman can “post” the bail bond at the jail.  “Posting” of the bail bond at the jail, will start the release process.

Depending on the jail, the defendant will be released in 1-6 hours (sometimes longer for larger jails).

As the defendant’s guarantor, the bondsman is assuring the court that he will pay the full bond amount if the defendant fails to appear on the intended trial dates.

This gives the bondsman financial incentive to insure the defendant makes all of their court appearances.

For this service, the defendant will be charged a fee (aka the bail bond premium), which is usually 10% of the full bail amount.

Here is an example that recaps the entire bail bond process:

Let’s say that somebody is arrested for domestic violence.  They are arrested, booked and placed in a jail cell.  The jailor reviews the bail schedule and determines the bail to be set at $20,000.  A family member calls a bail bond company. By using a bail bond company, the family member would pay the bail bond company $2,000 (10%).  The bail bondsman will keep the $2,000 as their fee.

A bail bondsman, professional bail agent, or bail bonding agent is licensed by the Department of Insurance of a given state to post a bond.

Defendants who lack the financial resources (or choose not to pay the full bail amount) to post the entire the bail amount seek the help of a reputable bail bondsman.

In return for the assurance that the defendant will appear in all of his or her court proceedings, the bail bondsman will pay for the full bail amount set by the judge.

Along with the defendant, the bail bondsman is bound unto the Obligee (beneficiary of the bond) in the fulfillment of the bail bond’s conditions.

The bail bond “premium” is the amount that the defendant and his or her co-signers will need to pay the bail bond company for their services.

Traditionally, the bond premium will be 10% of the bail amount.  There are special circumstances where the premium can be lower.   We recommend that you contact our company to discuss the cost for your specific bond.

In California, judges convene annually to discuss the “bail schedule” for their particular county.

Once the “bail schedule” is set for the year, it will be used as a guideline for most bail bond scenarios.

However, when a defendant is before the Judge, the Judge has much discretion in determining the bond amount based on the defendant’s specific situation.

It is not uncommon for judges to increase or decrease the bail amount depending on the severity of the offense, the defendant’s previous criminal history, public safety, whether a firearm was used, likelihood that the defendant will not appear on his or her future court proceedings and other unusual factors.

No. It is not refundable.  Once the bail bond is “posted” at the jail and the defendant walks out of custody, the bail bond premium is fully earned.

Professional bonding agents accept the risks from the moment they are chosen to post the bail bond.

They also provide services that will ensure the compliance of the defendant to the contractual agreement after the bail has been posted. A bail bondsman has to monitor the defendant’s whereabouts and make sure that the defendant will not miss his or her trial dates.

The bond premium is the fee owed by the defendant and co-signers (if any) for the bondsman’s services, therefore it is non-refundable.

It is the outcome of violating the bail bond’s primary condition: prompt appearance of the defendant on his or her trial dates.

If the defendant fails to appear in court, the bail will be forfeited.

When this happens, a warrant will likely be issued for the arrest of the defendant and the court will provide a specific number of days or months for the defendant to appear before a summary judgment is entered on the bond.

Bail forfeiture procedure will depend on the specific jurisdiction’s laws.  In California, for example, after a “failure-to-appear”, the bondsman has 180 days to get the defendant back into court.

If the judge has forfeited the defendant’s bail because he or she missed a court date, the defendant (or the defendant’s lawyer) might be able to have the original bond reinstated by making a formal request to the Judge.

If this situation occurs to you, contact your bail bond agency and ask for a “Resumption of Liability Motion”.  If the Judge approves this request, the original bail bond will be reinstated.

Defendants usually ask a family member, relative, or friend to help them pay for the bond premium or provide collateral security for the bail bond.

These persons will be the co-signer or co-guarantor of the bail bond. They will be held responsible if the defendant fails to appear in his intended court dates.

For most people, using a bail bond company is the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to procure somebody’s release from custody.

Other options include a Cash Bond and Property Bond.

Cash Bonds
A cash bond is where you deposit the full amount of the bond with the court. When a defendant opts for a cash bond, the defendant will only be able to have that amount refunded after the case is fully resolved.

Even after the case is finalized, it often takes months to get your money refunded. Also, if one pays cash bail, they will lose the “opportunity cost” of having those funds invested elsewhere.

The defendant may not get the entire amount back because the court may retain a certain portion of the amount to cover administrative costs.

What is a Property Bond?

Another option for having somebody released from jail in California is by using a property bond.

In short, the court will essentially be putting a lien on your real estate.  The lien must be twice the amount of the bail.

The process is very cumbersome, and usually requires several court appearances as well as assistance from an attorney.

Usually, this process takes 2-8 weeks to finalize.

Because of the given reasons, a bail bond will be the best option for most people.

Different factors influence how quick the defendant is released from jail. A defendant will be released from jail only after he or she has been booked and fully processed into the jail.

The initial booking and processing time will depend on the size of the jail and how busy the jail is.

After the defendant has been booked/processed, the bond can be posted by your bail agent.

After the bond is posted, the release process will usually take 1-6 hours. The release process can take longer for larger jails or if other complications occur.

We understand that this can be frustrating for the defendant and his or her family, but jail complications are beyond a bail bond company’s control. We ask for your cooperation, patience, and understanding throughout the entire process.

Once the defendant, his relatives, or friends gives the bondsman a call, the bail bondsman will get the necessary information needed to start the process.

The bondsman will check the condition of the defendant, what kind of offense he has been arrested for, which jail he is in, or if there are any personal matters that needs to be addressed for the defendant among others.

Before the parties enter into the bond agreement, the bail bondsman will inform the defendant and his co-signers or co-guarantors about the conditions of the bond as well as other procedural bond requirements.

Yes. Many, but not all, bail bond companies can process a bail bond electronically.

The bail bond forms will be electronically sent to the clients wherever they are. As long as the client has sufficient Internet access, he or she will receive the forms immediately.

We use a secure digital transaction management service to facilitate the signed documents.

Once the documents are signed, the bail bondsman will execute the bond and post it for the immediate release of the defendant.

We offer various modes of payment. We even offer no-collateral bail bonds.

You can pay the bail bond premium or fee by using the following payment options:

• Visa
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Cash
• Money Orders
• Wire Transfer of Funds
• Personal Checks (restrictions apply)
• Deposit cash at any Bank of America branch

For certain riskier bonds, a bail bond company may ask you to pledge collateral before they will transact your bail bond.

The purpose of collateral is to help protect the bail bond company from loss in the event that the defendant fails-to-appear in court and permanently can’t be located.  Collateral will returned when the defendant has made all court appearances.

Collateral options:

1. Real property (such as a home or land).  The property can be located anywhere in the United States.
2. Credit Card – Our company can use your credit cards as collateral.  We can obtain an approval from your credit card company for the amount you wish to pledge as collateral.  Your credit card company will place a “hold” on these funds.  The good news for you is that these particular funds will NOT be on your monthly credit card statement and will NOT have an interest charge.  Sometimes many different family members/friends will use different credit cards to obtain the full collateral amount.
3. Cash – We accept cash, securities, and other marketable liquid assets as collateral.  We will place these assets in a collateral account (similar to an escrow account) until the bond is exonerated (finished).
4. Letter of Credit from a Bank – In essence, an accredited financial institution is vouching for you.

We don’t usually require collateral for clients to acquire a bond. In most cases, your signature will be enough.

No-collateral bonds are signature bonds or recognizance bonds.

They serve the same purpose, but without the need to put up the usual collateral that will be required of a defendant and his co-signers when obtaining a bail bond.

The defendant’s signature will serve as a promise that he or she will appear in all future court proceedings and abide by the conditions of the bond.

There are a few criteria that will be considered before a person can avail of this option. Here are some of them:

• The defendant has no prior criminal record.
• The defendant is highly unlikely to flee from the jurisdiction once released.
• The defendant is not a threat to public safety.
• The defendant is accused of a minor felony case.
• The defendant has a stable job or a proof of income.
• The defendant has a good credit history.
• The defendant has strong “roots” or “ties” to the community.