We’re sure that you didn’t want to get arrested. Or, if your relative is in a holding cell, then we’re certain sure that you never wanted to receive that phone call. But when it happens, you may very well need the help of a bail bond agent.
You’re not alone. People from all walks of life make use of bail bondsman, from the very poor to the very rich. And many of them are in need of bail money for the very first time in their lives, which means that they really have no idea how to handle the situation. Considering that many bail bond needs arise in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, most people simply have no idea what they’re going to need before approaching a bail bond agent.
That’s what we’re here for. If you are getting someone out of jail by helping them post bail, here’s a quick list of what you should know and bring to the bail agent.
Here Are The Four Things You Should Know
What type of information will make everything go more smoothly? Take a look at this list.
- Know The Person’s Name – What helps get someone out of jail? Knowing their name is a good start! While you’ll certainly know the full name of a relative (they might even be close enough that you know their social security number by heart), you might be surprised to know that some people come in knowing only the first name of a bar buddy they want to help out. In that case a person’s picture might still be able to be found on the jail’s website.
- Know Where They’re Being Kept – When you get that call from the person needing help, there’s a good chance that they’ll tell you exactly where they are. This will save you a few minutes when you meet with us so that we don’t have to go through so many possible locations.
- Know Their Booking Number – Want to make it go even faster when you get here? Know their booking number. Hopefully the accused has told you their booking number when they called. If not, it’s not a big deal and we can still help. Again, knowing more information will simply help the process go more quickly.
- Know How Much Bail You’ll Need – It is very likely when you get the phone call from jail that the person in question will be able to tell you how much the judge has set bail for. Remember, if you hear the number “$10,000” it’s not as bad as it sounds. If you don’t have that amount of money (few people do), a bail bond agent can supply the full amount and charge you 10-percent of the bail as a fee. If you don’t know the amount of the fee, we can still look it up. But knowing how much you need before you meet with a bail bondsman means that you will be able to better plan on how you’ll pay.
You might notice a trend here: even if you don’t have all of the information, we can look most of it up. But the more knowledge you have, the faster we can help you.
Here’s Are The Three Things You Should Bring
If you’re heading to meet a bail bond agent, you’re probably rushing out the door; it might even be the middle of the night. In addition to your keys and wallet (and clothes…please remember your clothes!), here are the three things that you should bring.
- Payment – To pay the fee on a bail bond, payment will be necessary. At Wanna Get Out Bail Bonds, we take cash, debit, and credit cards. We also have payment plans available, so even if you can’t pay the full 10-percent of the bond at that moment we will most likely be able to help you. Collateral is not necessary for most bail bond services.
- Identification – You’ll almost certainly have your ID on you if you drove to meet with a bail bond company, but it will also be important if we need to run credit cards for you.
- Cell Phone – If you’re like most people, you’d forget your shoes before you forget your cell phone. But if you’re wondering whether or not you should bring it, go ahead and do so because it serves a few purposes. First, it will be the primary way the accused can contact you if anything should change. Second, it will allow you to contact additional people should you need to inform others or solicit emergency funds to cover the bail bond amount. Also, it can work as a good distraction to keep you calm if there are any delays. Finally, you can research more about how bail bonds work and even begin to vet lawyers.
We Hope We Don’t Have To See You
At the end of many articles online, most businesses are able to say “buy now” or “stop by and see us.” But in the case of bail bonds, we hope you never have to make use of them. It would be great if neither you or anyone in your family ever have a run-in with the law.
But if you do ever need the help of a bail bond agent, we hope that this information is helpful so that we can make the entire process as painless as possible. When you’re looking for a bail bond service in O’ahu, we’d be honored if you contacted us at Wanna Get Out Bail Bonds.
