You’ve no doubt probably heard about people being released from jail after they’ve posted bail, but you might not know exactly what that entails. Posting bail involves putting up a sum of money as collateral when you are arrested so that you can be released until your court date. As long as you show up in court as scheduled, the money will be returned to you. That may sound like a good arrangement, but the problem is that bail is often more than the defendant can afford to pay out of pocket. If they want to be able to cover the cost of the bail bond, they have to go through a bondsman for help.
A bail bondsman will post bail on your behalf if you are arrested for a fee, usually a percentage of the bond. They may also accept some of your property or a family member’s property as collateral. As long as you show up for your court date, the bond will be paid back to the bondsman, and all you will have to pay is the fee that you owe the bondsman. Anything you put up for collateral will also be returned to you. Should you fail to appear in court, the bondsman can seize the property that you put up as collateral to cover the cost of the bond. They can also apprehend you and force you to appear in court.
There are obviously serious consequences to skipping bail, especially if you hire the services of a bondsman. Still, bondsmen offer a valuable service to those who cannot afford to stay in jail for weeks or months at a time yet who cannot post bail by themselves. You can find bondsmen who can post bail bonds in Beaver County, PA if you are ever in need of their services. You will never know when you need their services, so make sure that you can find them when you need them.