Anyone who reads the news or watches TV will be very aware of the term “bail”. Hardly a day goes by when a crime is reported and the individual who was arrested as a suspect is released on “X” thousand dollars bail. We all know this happens but what exactly are bail bonds in Minnesota and what do they do? Why does the defendant have to return to court if they are out on bail?
Background information:
In the event an individual is placed under arrest by an officer of the law the first stage in the whole process is to take the suspect to a police station where he or she will be booked. During the booking process a mug shot is taken as will fingerprints. The arrested person will be asked if he wants to give a statement. The next phase is incarceration; the person will be placed in a jail cell until the court date arrives unless the individual is released on jail on bail.
What is bail?
Bail is a monetary arrangement that is made between the accused that is considered to be the defendant and a bonding agency. The agency will arrange with the court to have the accused released from jail pending trial. The bonding agency exchanges cash, a bond or collateral for the release of the accused. The amount of the bail bond is set by the court.
The agency that has arranged for the bail bonds in Minnesota is now responsible for ensuring that the accused shows up in court on the day that the trial is going to take place. In the event the accused skips bail and does not show up as agreed the bond is forfeited and the bonding agency will attempt to locate the person, this is often done by individuals known as bounty hunters.
How bonds work:
The amount of bail that the bonding agency puts up must be supported with assets of the accused. In the event he or she does not have sufficient assets securities can be taken out against the assets of family or friends who are willing to help the accused. On the day of trial if the defendant shows up the court releases the bonding company from any responsibility and the security against the supporting assets is released.
If you have been arrested and accused of committing a crime you can either sit in jail until your court date or arrange for bail bonds in Minnesota. Liberty Bail Bonds provide friendly, courteous and professional assistance around the clock.
