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Avoid These Major Mistakes When You Post Bail

If you or a loved one has been arrested in Pennsylvania, you may be given the opportunity to post bail and return home until your court date. If, however, your bail is set above your financial means, you’ll need services for bail bonds in Allentown, PA, and all of the surrounding areas. Rely on the full-service bail bond company, Always Available Bail Bonds LLC, to post bail for you. Be careful not to make the following mistakes when you are working with a bail bond service:

Providing the Wrong Address: If you are in-between addresses, don’t write down a false address or give them a friend’s address because every piece of information you give the bail bondsman must be 100% accurate.

Leaving Town before the Court Date: You may intend to make it back in time for your court date, but taking a vacation sends up a red flag that you may be a flight risk, which could lead your bail bondsman to cancel your bail bond with no refund.

Getting Arrested Again : If your bail bonds agent doesn’t trust you, your bail might be revoked. When you are out on bail secured by hiring a bail bond service, you don’t want to mess things up.

Skipping Bail: You must appear at your court hearing, or you will accrue further fees and penalties on your bail bond, and there will also be a warrant out for your arrest.

Failure to Meet Payments: Make sure you understand the deadlines on the contract between you and your bail bond agency to receive the funds you need. Note when the money must be paid back as well as what the penalties are for missing a payment.

How to Choose Your Criminal Defense Attorney

Your freedom is your number one concern if you have been arrested for a crime. The lawyer you choose to represent you is how you plan to protect yourself against criminal charges. He or she is your legal protector and your voice before the judge and jury. You are completely dependent on your legal representative to identify any weaknesses in the prosecution’s case against you, to build an effective defense plan on your behalf, to skillfully present your arguments before the court, and to fight for the protection of your rights. You only want a seasoned legal professional to represent you in a criminal case. When you want to hire a legal professional who has the right qualifications, be sure you take note of the following tips:

Ascertain that the lawyer has extensive criminal law experience.
Check to see if the attorney has a strong track record of success in winning major criminal cases.
Find out if he or she is a hands-on defense lawyer who is committed to working with you directly and maintaining a strong client relationship with you. You should be able to tell a lot just by how the attorney interacts with you in your initial consultation.
Be sure to read online reviews about the lawyer and see what other clients had to say about the attorney’s services.
When you meet with the attorney ask questions, find out how the lawyer plans to help you, ask about his or her charges for legal services, and get a general vibe of the lawyer’s personality.

Depend on Always Available Bail Bonds when you are wondering about where there is a reliable company for bail bonds near me in Allentown, PA.

What Does It Mean to Be Held on Bond?

If you or someone you love has been arrested and is being held on bond, it means that a written promise has been signed by the defendant and surety to ensure that the defendant appears in court at the scheduled time and date. The court sets the amount of the bail, which is an amount of money in cash, property, or surety bond to make sure that a person attends all required court appearances. Being held on bond enables the arrested person (defendant) to be released from jail until his or her case is completed.

A person who has been arrested for a crime and booked into jail must go before a judge who decides the terms and conditions of that particular person’s bail order. There are certain circumstances in which bail is denied. Those cases are most likely to occur if the arrested person is considered a threat to the public. If bail is denied, the defendant cannot be released before the trial and is “remanded” into police custody.

If the defendant is granted a release from jail, a bond order has to be granted by the judge. That bond may be secured, which means that money or property is paid to secure the defendant’s release or unsecured, which is when you sign a document that says you will pay a certain amount of money if the defendant breaks his or her bond conditions.

Contact Always Available Bail Bonds LLC when you are looking for 24-hour bail bonds in Allentown, PA.

The Most Common Forms of Bail Bond Collateral, Part 2

As mentioned in “The Most Common Forms of Bail Bond Collateral, Part 1,” there are a quite a few types of bail bond collateral used as options if the arrested person doesn’t show up for his or her court date. Collateral is only eligible to be returned once all the arrested person’s financial obligations are paid off and the case is closed; until the case closes a bail bond agent can keep holding the bail collateral. Some other kinds of collateral put up for bail include all of the following:

Firearms

Many types of firearms work as collateral for a bail payment. If these items are worth the amount of the bond they are generally acceptable forms of currency in this situation.

Credit Cards

The limit on the credit card that is put up as collateral must exceed the penal amount that is charged if the defendant fails to show up in court.

Electronics

Electronics such as the newest generation of an iPhone, which may be valued as high as $1,000, are becoming more common as bail collateral. If you can combine your electronics with a little cash, you most likely will be able to cover the amount of your bail.

Always Available Bail Bonds is ready to help when you or a loved one need bail bonds in Allentown, PA, or any of the surrounding areas.

The Most Common Forms of Bail Bond Collateral, Part 1

If a defendant doesn’t have the cash to post a bail bond to get out of jail, which is around 10% of the bail amount, other options include certain common forms of collateral. Collateral usually needs to be equal to the amount of the bond, and it is a kind of guarantee or placeholder that the arrested person will show up in court. When the defendant does appear for court, and at the conclusion of the court case, the bail bond is dissolved, and the collateral is returned to the person who posted it. While bail bond agencies set their own standards, most of them accept a variety of bail collateral, including some of the following most accepted forms:

Homes

The title of a home can be offered to the bail bond agency as a form of collateral. However, you must have equity in the home, and the home can’t be in the foreclosure stage.

Vehicles

If you hold the title to your vehicle, you can place it up as collateral for a bail bond. You must be the vehicle’s title holder, and you can’t have any outstanding liens or loans on it.

Jewelry

If you own any valuable jewelry, you can choose to put it up as collateral. The most common kinds of jewelry as collateral are gold and diamonds, but other pieces that have been appraised as valuable may be usable.

Contact Always Available Bail Bonds when you or a loved one need bail bonds in Allentown, PA, or any of the surrounding areas.

Information You Need Before Contacting a Bail Bondsman, Part 2

As we stated in “Information You Need Before Contacting a Bail Bondsman, Part 1,” it is usually a family member or loved one who is tasked with getting someone out of jail. When that person contacts a bondsman in Scranton, PA, he or she needs to have the information the bondsman needs in order to perform his services for the defendant.

Note that as part of the arrest and booking process, the defendant’s bail is set, his or her fingerprints are taken and a background check is performed. Defendants are also searched, and their belongings are documented in inventory. After all this, the defendant is taken to a cell.

After a bail bond agreement is signed, the bondsman posts the bond wherever the defendant is being held. If all the information is provided correctly, the entire process may be completed in just a few hours after the criminal defendant has been arrested and booked. Some of the tips to make the process as quick as possible include the following:

Jail Location

Be sure to find out the location of the jail your loved one is in. You need the name of the jail, the city, state, and zip code. The bail bondsman needs all of the pertinent information in order to process your loved one’s bail properly.

Amount of the Bail

Your bail bondsman can find out how much bail they need to post once they have a booking number and the jail location. When the bondsman knows what the court has set for bail, they can tell you how much you’ll need to provide for their services.

Information You Need Before Contacting a Bail Bondsman, Part 1

You want to get your loved one released from jail as soon as possible. Everything in the process goes more smoothly if you gather a few key pieces of information before you contact the bail agent. Once the agent has the necessary paperwork, he can get the person in jail out in a timely manner. Check out the tips below which you should have in hand to answer the questions your bondsman will ask.

Defendant’s Full Name

You need the defendant’s full name, including middle name, completed with the correct spelling to give to the bail agent. You should also have the arrested person’s birthday (with year) as a piece of information that properly identifies him or her.

Arrested Person’s Booking Number

The booking number is basically your loved one’s only form of identification while he or she is in jail. That’s the number used by the facility to record the defendant’s information and keep track of that particular case. The bail bondsman needs the booking number in order to identify who they are posting bail for, to make sure there are no mix-ups during the process.

When you need a bondsman in the middle of the night, on weekends, or holidays, contact Always Available Bail Bonds to reach our agent for 24-hour bail bonds in Allentown, PA. We serve customers in all locations throughout Eastern Pennsylvania.

How to Work with a Bail Bond Company

If you or someone you love is arrested, you may be called on to get him or her out of jail. As most charges include a chance to get out of jail by paying bail, you will want to become familiar with some of the main aspects of dealing with a bail bond company before you make your call.

As you know, the purpose of a bail bond service is to help people get out of jail, even if they are experiencing financial hardship. You don’t need to pay the high amount of bail set by the court when you use a bail bond company. In most cases, the accused can be set free by paying up to 10% of the total bail amount.

A bail bond company intends to make bail attainable for anyone who needs it. Judges don’t usually deny bail unless the accused has a long criminal history or is charge with a crime like murder. Even if the amount of bail set for your friend or family member is extraordinarily high, there are usually available financing options from the bail bond company. It always makes sense to call and seek help from a local company like Always Available Bail Bonds for 24-hour-a-day bail bonds in Allentown, PA, and throughout Lehigh County.

The Difference Between a Bail Bondsman and a Bounty Hunter

There is a difference between a bounty hunter and a bail bondsman although the two professions frequently get confused. The two often work closely together to achieve the same result, which is to find and return a fugitive to the criminal justice system. Why do these two roles get confused so often? In some states, a bail bondsman also performs the same duties as a bounty hunter. In other words, there are times when one person is authorized to perform both job functions.

Bail Bondsman

A bail bondsman makes a loan to an accused criminal, usually while they are in jail, in order to help that person post bond and go free. Bail bondsmen are often regulated by a state’s insurance board, so they are mandated to carry property and casualty insurance. If a defendant fails to show up for the scheduled court hearing, the bail bondsman can lose a significant sum of money. As accused criminals often fail to show, a bail bondsman may employ the services of a bounty hunter to help them stem their financial losses.

Bounty Hunter

The bounty hunter works with a bail bondsman to assist in tracking, locating, apprehending, and returning fugitives to the criminal justice system. Bail bondsmen pay them for their services. Bounty Hunters are key performers when it comes to assisting the bail bonds system. They are also key to helping the communities in which they serve stay safe from criminals who need to face their charges inside the criminal justice system.

Contact Always Available Bail Bonds when you are asking yourself: Is there a company that handles bail bonds near me in Allentown, PA?

Common Bail Bonds Language, Part 2

If you or a loved one is under arrest, you need help understanding the court system at the same time you need the assistance of a bail bond company in Allentown, PA, or anywhere in Lehigh County. The last thing you need is to be confused about the language of posting bail or bond. It helps to have clarification about the process so you can be prepared when you hear some of the most common terms used in the bail bonds industry and what they mean.

Bail: The bail is the amount of money the accused must pay the court in order to be released from jail until their next court hearing.
Failure to Appear: If the accused fails to appear in court on the required date, a “failure to appear” charge can be brought against him or her.
Indemnitor: If the accused needs a valid co-signer, this person is known as the indemnitor. The indemnitor guarantees that the defendant shows up for a trial as required.
Bail Conditions: When the court orders the accused to follow a set of rules after he or she is released on bail, the bail conditions ensure they will follow these rules. These conditions help ensure a defendant shows up to court. Bail conditions are usually set for defendants that are considered at high risk for failure to show up at their court dates.

Contact Always Available Bail Bonds when you or a loved one has questions about the bail bond process or needs help any time of day or night.