A bail bondsman, also known as a bond agent, is a company representative or an individual acting independently who presents a surety bond to a court of law to affect the release of a defendant that would otherwise be held in jail until trial. These services are made possible by contractual agreements that are pre-arranged with the courts in the county and state in which the bail bondsman does business. Per these agreements, the bail bondsman is permitted to make a “blanket” bond to the court, which is considerably less than the amount of bail originally set. In effect, the bail bondsman is making a guarantee that the defendant will return to the court as required or be held responsible for making restitution to the court for the full amount of the original bail.

There are several advantages to using a bail bondsmen to “spring” someone from jail. For one thing, they usually have access to certain securities in order to be able to furnish a bond to the court, even if it’s in the middle of the night. This is possible due to securing special agreements with credit providers, such as a financial institution or insurance company, in order to access a line of credit outside of normal business hours. This means that the defendant can usually be released within a few hours of presenting the bond to the court. In addition, using the services of a bail bondsman saves the defendant or his or her family from having to post the entire bail in cash on their own.

There are also important considerations to be made when contracting with a bail bondsman. First and foremost, it’s imperative that the defendant is of a character to actually adhere to the release agreement. This is particularly true if the bail set by the court is very high and a bail bond has been secured with a bondsman in the form of collateral, such as a home or vehicle. Otherwise, if the defendant should fail to appear in court at the appointed time, the bail bondsman will be able to take possession of the property used as collateral. He or she will also be authorized to dispatch a bounty hunter to locate and return a defendant on the run.

Many people are under the misconception that contacting a bail bondsman equates to taking out an interest loan to pay the bail, but this is far from the case. In fact, a bail bondsman merely charges a percentage of the amount of bail set, typically 10 percent in most areas. This sum is the surety that the court agrees to accept in lieu of the full bail amount. However, this percentage represents the bondman’s fee and is not returned to the client when the defendant reappears in court.

For those wondering how to become a bail bondsman, the requirements vary with each state and jurisdiction. Generally, however, it is a matter of completing approximately 12 hours of coursework, followed by successfully passing a written exam. After accreditation, insurance and licensing must be obtained before the bondsman may conduct business.