What a Dallas/Fort Worth TX Bail Bondsman Does
If you look at the list of cities in both the Dallas and Tarrant Counties below, you'll see a lot. You won't find a bail agent that is licensed to write bonds in all of the service areas we've listed below. If you do, let us know and we'll mention them on our main website!
Dallas County: Garland, Irving, Grand Prairie, Mesquite, Carrollton, and the City of Dallas, Texas.
Tarrant County: Forth Worth, Arlington, North Richland Hills, Mansfield, and Euless, Texas.
The Need for a Texas Bail Bondsman
In some cases, a person may not have to secure the services of a bail bondsman. While these instances are few, they do happen in what’s known as an “O.R” bond (Own Recognizance). If a person is released from incarceration on these terms (also commonly known as a signature bond), all he or she has to do is sign a document that promises that they will show up in court.
These O.R. bonds (signature bonds) don’t happen very often. For the lucky few who have strong ties to the community, have lived in their home for several years, are a first offender, and are gainfully employed, they may be granted this special kind of jail release bond.
If this type of release is denied, then a person has only two options for getting out of jail. They can either pay the full amount of bail that the judge sets, or they have to hire a bail bondsman licensed in the county or city to which the jail belongs, like this particular Dallas County bondsman who is licensed to write bonds in most of the metro area around Dallas, Texas.
Dealing with a Bonding Company's Fees
While some bail may seem like it is set extremely high, it may just be a person’s particular point of view or lack of financial stability.
The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution protects citizens against excessive bail amounts. In Stack v. Boyle, 342 U.S. 1 (1951), the Supreme Court declared that a bail amount is "excessive" under the Eighth Amendment if it were "a figure higher than is reasonably calculated" to ensure the defendant's appearance at trial. Bail is intended to allow a person to fulfill their responsibilities to their community, family, and occupation while giving them the opportunity to seek legal counsel and gather evidence on their behalf. In agreement for appearing in court, they will get the bail money that they paid returned to them. If they do not appear in court, that money is then forfeited to the courts. Likewise, if a person hires a bail bondsman to vouch for their court appearance and they don’t show, then that bail agent has to pay the full amount of bail. This gets a little complicated, but just know that the co-signer of the bond will be held financially responsible for any damages that the bonding company accrues during this process. In other words, if a person “jumps bail,” then the bail bond company will pay the court. The co-signer will pay the bonding company. The defendant will have a warrant put out for their arrest.
The standard bonding rate for the state of Texas is 8%-20%. The higher the flight risk, the higher the bonding fee. Also see how this Tarrant County bonding company calculates their fees. You'll see that they take much more into consideration than just the criminal history of the inmate/defendant. They also look at the seriousness of the charges, past failure-to-appear's (FTA's), and more. You should be well versed in the qualifications before calling any bonding company. The resource we've just mention should help tremendously with that.
The Job of the Texas Bail Bondsman
It is the job of the bail bondsman to reduce risk by not taking on clients that aren’t likely to show up to court. Furthermore, the bonding company will require the cosigner to have a strong financial background, equity in their home, and higher bonding fees as collateral if the risk is above the norm. This protects the company, their assets, and the cosigner.
For more information on how bail bonds work, be sure to visit our Rockwall County site where we go over the history of bail, what a bond is, and how you can find out who the best bail bonds agents are in your area.
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