According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, there were 10,554,985 arrests nationwide in 2017. Now, when someone is arrested for a crime, they’re typically held in jail until their court date or until they’re released on bail.

Bail is when you give the court a judge-appointed amount of money in exchange for the release of an arrested friend or family member. When the bail is posted, the accused can wait at home instead of in jail.

In some cases, posting bail can be expensive. For that reason, you may want to hire a bail bonds agent to help you. Bail bonds are posted on the accused’s behalf by a bail bond agent, which is very helpful if the accused can’t pay their own bail. Amistad Bail Bonds has helpfully listed some reasons that hiring a bail bonds agent is a good idea:

Saves Money

It may be difficult to come up with the full bail amount to pay to the court. Paying cash for a large bail amount may require you to make difficult and complicated financial decisions, such as liquidating assets or refinancing mortgage.

With a bail bonds agent, you generally only have to pay 10% of the full bail amount and the agent will post the rest.

Legal Knowledge

A bail bonds agent already knows the ins and outs of the whole bonds process. The bail bonds agent understands all the legal requirements to get your loved one out of jail. This knowledge is crucial to expediting the process of getting the accused released.

Locates Friends and Family in Jail

When you get the call from your loved one saying that they’ve been arrested, you should call a bail bonds company. The bail bonds agent can find out the information that you need, such as where your loved one is being held, what their bond amount is, and whether a bail bond is allowed. Calling a bail bonds agent and getting their help is quicker and much better than calling local jails to find out where the arrest occurred.

Allows them to Seek Proper Counsel

In jail, you may not be able to get the best possible lawyer for your case. If you’re released on bail, you can find the right attorney for you instead of just being assigned a court-appointed lawyer.

Enables them to Continue Working or Going to School

It can take weeks for a court case to begin. If your loved one is in jail throughout that period, they will likely suffer consequences such as getting fired or falling behind on schoolwork. If you bail them out, they may be able to work out a deal with their boss for post-court employment or collect the necessary assignments for school.

The most important thing to remember is that a person is innocent until proven guilty. This means that no one should be spending any time behind bars until after they’ve been convicted for a crime. Help keep your loved ones from doing unnecessary jail time by hiring a bail bonds agent.