17 Jul What All Those Legal Bail Words Mean And Why They Matter

• Bail – determined by a judge, this is the amount of money a defendant will need to pay court in order to leave jail.
• Bond, or bail bond – a written contract from a professional bail agent to the court (acts as bail payment) with the understanding that if the defendant fails to go to court, the bail agent is responsible for the full payment.
• Bone revocation – this is taking bail eligibility away from a defendant and putting them back in jail. This happens usually when a person (typically a bail bond cosigner or the judge) no longer trusts the defendant to keep his or her promise on his or her bail release terms and show up in court.
• Co-signer – often used for bail bonds, this person would be responsible for getting the defendant to court because often, the bail agent does not want that risk for him or herself.
• Collateral – often used for bail bonds, this is property or valuables that a cosigner must forfeit to the bail agent if the defendant fails to appear in court.
• Own recognizance – in some cases, a defendant will be released from jail without needing to pay bail. This is on his or her “own recognizance” with the understanding and promise that he or she will appear in court when asked to.

Knowing these common bail-associated terms, we at Baton Rouge Bail Bonds hope you understand the importance of these, and why it’s very important to abide by any and all bail and jail terms if you or someone you love is ever in this type of position. By adhering to rules, the bail and jail process will be much simpler, smoother, and affordable. But if something goes wrong and problems arise, there will be additional consequences.

If you have further questions or concerns regarding bail and jail, or if you need a bail bond agent to help you out, pick up the phone and call us at 225-618-1111! We’ll be glad to help you out in any way we can.