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Our bail agents at Lynwood Absolute Bail Bonds often get asked what’s the difference between several different bail things, bail vs. premium, bondsmen vs. agents, licensed vs. unlicensed. In this article we’re going to discuss these differences.
What is the difference between a bail and a bail premium. It’s simple really, bail is the amount of money required by the court for the defendant to be released from jail. Bail premium is the amount of money required by a bail bonds agency for them to bail the defendant out of jail and the amount for the bail premium is dependant on the bail amount and local state laws. In California bail premiums can’t be higher than 10% of the bail, so if someone’s bail is set at $10,000 than the bail premium would be $1,000.
When researching bail bonds you may come across two different terms, bail bondsmen and bail agents. You may be asking yourself what is the difference between the two. Trade secret, there isn’t a difference, the terms are interchangeable.
People often ask if it is ok to use an unlicensed bail bondsman. The answer is and always will be, NO! Bailing people out of jail without a license is illegal and can get the “bail bondsman” arrested. Never use an unlicensed bail bondsman and it shouldn’t be a big deal to see the bail agents license, if it is you may wan to consider using someone else for bail.
The most important thing to take away from this is don’t be afraid to ask your bail agents questions. They are there to help you and answering your questions is important. The bail agents at Lynwood Absolute Bail Bonds will always answer any bail.
Call us at 1-800-793-2245 anytime, to start the bail bond process.