Types of Bail Bonds

If you have gotten arrested and need to get a bond to get you or a family member out of jail, you need to know what kinds of bonds are available and the details of each one.

The first type of bond is a personal recognizance bond or a PR bond. This type of bond can be very good for first time offenders with no prior record of any kind. This is basically a personal agreement that you will still show up on the court date you were assigned. A judge will often accept this type of bond for a first time offender who doesn’t seem to be a flight risk. You are required to sign a piece of paper that agrees to everything they tell you about your court date and not leaving town. This contract often includes a few other items that the court will discuss with you before you have to sign. After you sign, you are free to go.

For those who have no prior offenses, I would suggest going toward this type of bond because then you would not have to pay a large sum to the court.

The next type of bond is a cash bond. This type of bond is pretty straight forward but is not always for everyone. A cash bond is just paying the bail amount in full in cash. Usually there are not many people that can afford to pay for their bail with cash so this bond isn’t used by all people. Some of the different courthouses will offer an option for paying by credit card or even by check, depending on what courthouse it is.

This bond can be very helpful for those that have enough money to take care of the bail amount.

The last type of bond is a Surety or Bail Bond. This type of bond can be a little complicated. If you cannot afford a cash bond, then you have to go to a bail bondsman. A bail Bondsman is a person who will loan you the money for your hearing for a certain amount of money. Your outside source will have to go find a bail bondsman and then sign the paperwork. The bail bondsman will also have to bring the paperwork to you so you can sign it as well. This signature is basically saying that on the date you were assigned by the court, you will come back and appear at your assigned time. This is also a kind of guarantee that you won’t leave town or fail to appear at your court date.

For those who are considered a flight risk, this is probably going to be the option you have to turn to.