If your loved one or friend has been arrested on a state or federal charge he or she will be placed in jail. At this point anyone that chooses to can contact a company licensed to provide bail bonds in New York.
The company offering the bail bonds in New York will then meet with the individual that made contact, which may also include the individual arrested, and post bail. This basically entering into a contract with the bail bondsman that the person arrested will return to the court as ordered to appear before a judge. It is a guarantee that the individual will not attempt to flee or fail to appear in court.
The Amount
There will be fees for bail bonds in New York that do not exceed 10% and that can be paid in cash or collateral. If the individual that was arrested does not have cash and collateral to cover this as a co-signer, also known as an indemnitor, will have to provide the cash or collateral. In some cases there can be more than one co-signer and more than one property or asset used as collateral.
The amount of the bond can range from 15% of the total amount set by the court to the full 100% of the bond amount. This will be determined by flight risk and history as well as the significance of the charges.
The Responsibility
As the co-signer you have to understand that you are responsible for the individual returning to court on the date or dates as required by the court. You are responsible for the other person’s actions and, if he or she fails to appear, you will be responsible for the full amount of the fees and any and all expenses of the company providing the bail bonds in New York.
While judges are typically open to anyone that has influence with the individual posting bond, sometimes bail bonds in New York are denied by the judge. This is usually only the case when the judge has reason to believe that the person charged will not work with the co-signer and is considered to be a high risk to fail to appear for that reason.
