How do I get somebody out of jail when they are arrested in Alabama?
Except for minor matters, people are jailed when arrested in Alabama.
A judge or magistrate then sets the amount needed to release that person.
The amount set is the person's bail.
The court requires this money as an insurance policy that the person will show up to their court dates. If they don't show, the money may be forfeited.
This payment or “bond” is a promise backed by money or property that the arrested person will show up in court.
There are different ways a person can be bailed out of jail.
The most straightforward is cash. If the person arrested has enough money to cover their bail, they can bond themselves out.
Most people don't carry enough money to bond themselves out, so, typically, it falls to a friend or family member to come up with sufficient funds to bond a person out of jail.
When the bond is paid in cash, as long as the person arrested shows up for their court dates after the case, the money can be returned to whoever paid. Alternatively, the funds may be applied to court costs and other fees if the person who paid the money agrees.
The bail the court sets may be more money than the accused or his family can afford. The most common remedy is to hire a can hire a bond company.
A bond company will promise to pay the court the total amount of a person's bond if they fail to show up for their court dates. To agree to this, they charge a percent of the total amount of the bond to whoever is hiring them- usually 10%. So, if your loved one is in jail with a $1000 bond, and you only have $100.00, you can pay that to the bonding company, which will then post the bond to get the person out. As long as the person shows, the bonding company makes $100This is how bond companies make their money.
Another way that bond can be provided is by pledging property. If you have a property worth the amount of the person's bond, that property could be put forth as collateral towards the bond. Remember that if the person who is supposed to show up for court does not, that property could be lost. Unfortunately, we hear stories where grandma and grandpa lose the family farm because their grandchild skipped out on bond.
I tried to explain all of the basics here. Unfortunately, in some instances, the bail may be too high even with a bonding company, or there may not be a bail. Under these circumstances, a lawyer can request that the court either lower the bond amount or, if there is no bond, the court will seta bond on behalf of the accused person.
