Grand Rapid Bondsman: Get Facts Before Bonding Your Friend Out

MICHIGAN BAIL BONDS

GRAND RAPIDS BONDSMAN OFFERS THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF BONDING A FRIEND OUT

February 21, 2018

As you probably already know, a bail bond is an insurance policy that allows a person who has been arrested for a crime and charged get out of jail until their court date. A bail bond basically guarantees that the defendant will show up for all of their court appearances. But should they skip out and fail to show up to court, the policy then goes into default.

It is at this point when the bondsman from 1st Assured Bail Bonds of Grand Rapids has to pay the full amount of bail money to the court. This is not a situation in which you want to find yourself in if you were the person who paid the bond for the defendant. It is not a fun situation being on the hook for somebody you bailed out of jail. Just how can you protect yourself?

HAVE A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PERSON YOU ARE BONDING OUT

You should never bond somebody out of jail whom you do not have a strong relationship. There is a bigger flight risk if you bail out people who are just casual acquaintances or extended family members. Flight risks are minimized when the people you bail out are very close friends or immediate family members.

It is important that you understand that you are putting yourself and your family and assets at a great risk should the person you bail out of jail decide to disappear and fail to show up in court.

GET THE DETAILS BEFORE POSTING BOND

Before you bail somebody out of jail, it is important that you fully understand the charge and the details of the case so you can make an informed decision. You will want to determine if the defendant is responsible, has an attorney and will keep their promise to show up to court. You may not know the exact answer to some of these questions, but with enough information, you can know the probability of the answers.

PROVIDE RELEVANT INFORMATION

When the bail bondsman is gathering information about the defendant, you should provide as much relevant information as you can. These are critical details as they will help the agent locate the defendant should they decide to jump bail.

DON’T HELP THE DEFENDANT HIDE

It is never a good idea to help the defendant hide or run away from a bail bondsman. Bondsmen are well-trained in locating people and nearly 99 percent of all defendants who skip bond are caught and remanded back into custody.

DON’T RUN AWAY

If your friend or loved one has skipped bail, it is not a good idea if you decide running away is the best option. A bondsman has just as much incentive to come looking for you as well.

DON’T PROVIDE FALSE INFORMATION

It is best if you build a trusting relationship with your bond agent. This starts by telling the truth during the bail process and not providing false information about the defendant or yourself.

If you ever find yourself in a situation in which you need to bail a friend or loved one out of jail, contact 1st Assured Bail Bonds.