What are Bail Bonds?
Listen to this articleInnocent until proven guilty: this is the motto that most countries would follow regarding their justice systems. Even though there are issues surrounding, this kind of notion, it would make sense in this civilized world. We are already long gone from the era of accusations equal guilt. There is always going to be a jury and an investigation to see which ones are the guilty. This is the reason why we should not label people as criminals before the formal investigation is already over. We might never know if they are truly innocent or otherwise. Having that time also means that the jury can take a look at a case from different angles.
Being convicted of a crime is a serious offense. It can seriously destroy your life especially if you are convicted. Whether it is as simple as shoplifting to literally murdering someone, there are bound to be some consequences involved. Even though it was only allegedly done, the accused will still have his or her life very affected. There are some employers who would outright fire an employee even before the investigation was over. This is all because they want to protect the image of the business before the welfare of the people. However, it is also understandable since it could potentially become a PR nightmare like in this page.
Convictions and Innocence
On the other hand, if you are truly convicted, then you just need to wait for the decision of the jury. The punishment would really depend on the type of crime committed. Meanwhile you cannot leave the prison cell before the investigation is even over. If you want to have your freedom back temporarily you need to pay a bail. This would be a sort of assurance that you would not run away from the law. You can get the money back eventually, even if you are innocent or otherwise.
However, bails are not just little fees like what you would pay for a towed car. Depending on the crime, you need to pay from the thousands to the millions. There are even cases wherein a bail is not allowed unless the jury says otherwise. If you are convicted of a crime that you know you didn’t commit, you need to prove that to the judges. However if you do not want to stay in a prison cell while proving that, the bail will be your key to temporary freedom. You also need to follow the terms and conditions of the bond. Learn more about this here: https://www.lawhandbook.org.au/2019_03_06_03_conditions_of_release_on_bail/.
The Cost of Temporary Freedom
For example, most bail agreements don’t allow you to travel outside of your home country. There are even cases wherein you are not allowed outside of your own state or you are in complete house arrest. It is important that you follow these guidelines or else the bond will be revoked and you will be sent back to prison with additional charges. Also, there were many instances that the bond was used to escape to another country. Depending on the case, there would be police or security officers assigned to you as well as a tracker installed on your body.
If you cannot pay, then there are agencies that can arrange for the bail fee. These are known as bail bonds, and they can pay for you provided that they will have to claim the money afterwards. Then, they would ask for an amount that you just need to pay them. Think of it as a loan, but you are just paying for the interest. This can give you the freedom that you want without spending too much money. It can be a good thing as well, even if you know that you are innocent.
On the other hand, if you think that you can run away from a bail bond, think again and more carefully this time. Aside from the officers and the trackers installed, the bond agency will also have a system of hunting you down. Sometimes, they would also ask retrieval services to capture you even if you run away. If you are really innocent, then running would just reinforce your guilt. Following the terms of the bond would be for your own good. You don’t want to add any more charges aside from the one you are accused with.
