Frequently Asked Questions
Bail Is Complicated.
If you need bail, you’ll have questions, and you may not have a lot of time to get the answers you need. The Q&A below will help, but if you need to know more call us anytime.
Some “routine” crimes have pre-set bond amounts that will be set as soon as you are processed at the jail. Other charges will require you to appear before a judge or magistrate to have a bond amount set. How fast you can appear before a judge or magistrate has a lot to do with what time and what day you are arrested. Read more here…
The typical bond amount paid to a bondsman is set by law at 10% of the full bond amount. That means if your bond is set at $2,000, you would pay a bondsman $200. There are other factors, however, that must be considered. Read more here…
Typically a person who has been arrested will be held by the agency that arrested them if they have a jail facility. For instance, someone arrested by the Seattle Police Department will usually be held in the Seattle Police Municipal jail. Someone arrested by the King County Sheriff’s Office will be held at the King County Detention Facility. People arrested by the Washington State Patrol will usually be held in the county jail where they were arrested. There are times, however, where a jail may house an inmate at a different facility. Read more here…
No one can be released until their bond has been set. An explanation of how the bond is set can be found here. After the bond is set, however, it usually only takes an hour or so to complete the paperwork and process the person out of jail. This can be longer or shorter depending on how busy the jail is, and how long it takes you to complete the paperwork necessary to secure the bond. Read more here…
A bail bond agent posts a bond whereas a recovery agent seeks to locate and surrender someone to authorities who have violated terms or conditions of their bond, or on a court order.
