Is Bail And Bond The Same Thing?
When a person is put in jail for allegedly committing a crime, you will often hear about the person being bailed or bonded out of jail. While people use these two terms interchangeably, they are not actually the same thing. They do, however, offer the same result, though. Here are several things you should understand about the differences and similarities of bail and bond.
Both Offer Freedom
While bail and bond are different, they still offer freedom to a person arrested for a crime. You can either bail or bond a person out of jail by paying a fee to the jail, and in both cases, the jail will release the person.
This person is free from jail through bond or bail, but the person is still not off the hook for the crime. He or she will have to go through a court process for the crime, and this will involve hearings, a plea agreement, or a trial. The way it is handled depends on the court, the person, the crime, and other factors.
Bail Is Money Paid by a Person
When the person is arrested, it is up to the court to state how much money the bail is, and bail is the amount that must be paid for the person to gain freedom at this time. The bail can be very low and affordable for a person, or it can be very high.
For example, there are times when you can get out of jail by paying a bail amount that is only $500. In other cases, a court may set the bail at $50,000. The average person would not be able to pay a $50,000 bail amount, though, and this is when the term "bonding" comes into play.
Bond Is Used When a Person Cannot Pay the Bail Amount
Bonding a person out of jail also offers freedom, but it is different from bailing the person out in terms of who pays the money. When the bail amount is too high, you may have to turn to a bail bondsman for assistance. If you do, you will have a bond. This means that you pay a small fee to the bail bondsman, and he pays the rest of the money.
This is the key difference between bailing and bonding a person out of jail. If you need assistance getting a person out of jail, you may need to contact a business that offers bail bondsman services for help.
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