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Helping A Family Member In Jail: Things To Know

Finance & Money Blog

Nobody wants to receive that dreaded phone call that their family member or loved one is in jail. If you've been on the receiving end of this call, you probably want to do everything you can to help your loved one get out of jail and get the legal representation that he or she needs. While this process can be emotionally draining, there are some steps you can take to make things a little easier on yourself.

Understand Bail Types

If you're receiving a phone call from a loved one in jail, there's a good chance he or she needs your help in getting bailed out. There are two main types of bonds: cash bonds and surety bonds. With a cash bond, you post the full bail amount in cash, and your loved one gets out of jail until his or her court date. Surety bonds, on the other hand, tend to be much higher and may require help from a bondsman to pay. These are most commonly associated with more serious or violent crimes.

Contact an Attorney

If you don't have enough cash to post your loved one's bail, you might consider reaching out to a local defense attorney. If possible, ask your loved one whether he or she has a preferred attorney; in some cases, the attorney may be able to speak with the prosecutor to get the bail amount for the charges lowered. This is not always the case, especially for more serious charges, but it is worth a shot.

Gather Information

If you still won't have enough money to post your loved one's bail, you can always turn to a third-party bail bond service. In order to have one of these services post bail for your loved one, though, you'll need some important information. This includes not just the full name of your family member who is in jail, but the name of the jail/holding facility, the exact bail amount, and a description of the charges.

From there, you should expect to pay a nun-refundable fee (usually a percentage of the total bail amount) to get your loved one out.

Seeing somebody you care about behind bars is a stressful experience, but the good news is that there are options to help your loved one get out on bond. From there, it is imperative that he or she attends any subsequent court dates to avoid warrants, arrests, and further charges.

For more information about bail bonds, contact a bail bondsman. 

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29 April 2020