What is Bondsman?
A bondsman is a person who provides bond assurances. The most common use of bondsmen is in the context of providing bail for criminal defendants. An individual who posts bail for those accused of crimes but lacks the funds to fully post bail with the court is known as a bail bondsman. By guaranteeing that the prisoner will show up in court, the bail bondsman serves as a surety by giving the court the money required for the defendant’s bail.
Usually, the bail bondsman will charge the defendants 10% of the bond amount as a non-refundable fee. This sum of money is what the bail bondsman is paid for posting the whole bond amount. The bail bondsman gets the whole bail sum plus the defendant’s 10% fee if the defendant shows up for court again. The bail bondsman will forfeit the money they paid toward the defendant’s bail if they are unable to track them down and persuade them to appear in court. If the defendant fails to appear in court, they will retain the 10% fee from the defendant.
Key Takeaways:
- A bondsman is a person who guarantees bonds. Bondsmen are most frequently used while granting bail to criminal defendants.
- The bond agency provides the court with a surety bond to release the offender once the bail bonding agent or corporation has paid its fee.
- There is no more money that has to be given to the bail bond agency as long as the defendant complies with the court’s appearance requirements and doesn’t skip any court appearances.
- The bail bond system is robust and is operated under high regulations. For instance, the California Department of Insurance is used to oversee the state’s bail bond system, and the California Penal Code applies to the sector.
Table of Content
- How Bail Bond Work?
- Example of Bail Bond
- Disadvantages of Bail Bond System
- Conclusion
- Bondsman- FAQs