You may have heard the term bail bond, especially when you listen to the local news and hear about some arrests or various interactions with the courts. But what are they exactly? You’d probably want to know in case you need to get bail bonds Pennsylvania someday.
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Types of Bonds
When most people think of a bond, they may conjure up an image of a U.S. savings bond or a U.S. Treasury bond in their mind’s eye. Indeed, they may think of a special relationship between two or more people or groups. Yes, the term bond covers a wide variety of different ideas and things. But what about bail bonds?
Bail Bonds: A Very Specific Type of Bond
Bail bonds are a specific type of bond termed a “surety bond“. Specifically, a surety bond is an instrument by which a promise is entered into to be liable for the debt, default, or failure of another. Among the many types of surety bonds are bail bonds.
Simply speaking, a bail bond is a type of surety bond that enables a defendant to be free of jail time until they appear in court. The judge in any particular court case will determine the bail amount if any. In essence, bail is the insurance the court needs to ensure that the defendant will show up at court at the required time.
In many cases, the defendant will not have the cash on hand to put up the bail amount for his or her release. This is where the bail bond comes into play. A third party, known as a bail agent or bail bondsman, will put up the bail amount for the defendant. of course, the defendant must pay that back to the agent.
So now you know in “plain speak” what a bail bond is.
