By posting bail for a friend or loved one you are doing them a gigantic favor. Instead of being locked up they will be able to carry on with their daily lives, attending work or school, caring for their family and of course they will have the opportunity to better prepare for their upcoming court dates. While it is the defendant's responsibility to actually show up in court the person who bails them out, known as the indemnitor, has a few responsibilities of their own.

Ensure the defendant attends court

If the defendant does not show up for court the indemnitor will likely be subject to several fines. This is why it is up to this person to ensure that the defendant makes their scheduled court dates. The bond will remain in effect until the case is dropped, the person is released or is taken back into custody, so the indemnitor must keep tabs on the the defendant until one of those things happen to avoid excessive fees.

Fee payments

The indemnitor is responsible for the initial fee charged by the bail bond agency to post bail for a defendant. This is called the bond premium and is usually between 10 and 15 percent of the full bail amount. However, the indemnitor may be subject to additional fees, depending on the actions of the defendant. One of the biggest problems is if the defendant does not show up for court. If this happens the bail agency may utilize a bounty hunter or fugitive recovery person in order to find the runaway and return them to custody. The cost of this service will need to be paid by the indemnitor.

Pay the full bail amount

If a defendant skips bail and can't be found it may be up to the indemnitor to pay their full bail amount. If collateral was collected as part of the bail bond process it will be forfeited by the indemnitor and collected by the bail bond agency in order to pay the fees. The indemnitor may need to take out additional loans in order to pay the full fine.

It is important that you understand your responsibilities prior to posting bail for a friend or loved one. If you have questions about posting bail in Lake County, Mendocino County or in the surrounding counties get in touch with Rob Brown Bail Bonds. For more than two decades we have been helping get people released on bail using proven, fast practices. We are available 24 hours a day in order to help you with any bail related needs. We're happy to answer questions about bail bonds in Lakeport, Ukiah, Yuba City or in any other community. Give our team a call at (707) 587-4563 to learn more about services or to begin the bail bond process.

Rob Brown Bail Bonds Blog

Written and Published By MORBiZ