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What Does a Bail Bondsman Do?

What is the purpose of a bail bondsman, and what do they do? When a person is placed in jail, they are given a right for something called bail. Bail is when a judge assigns an amount of cash to the defendant that they are required to pay to be released from jail. 


It is in our country's rights that a person is allowed to be released from prison to prepare for his trial. But, according to the law, it is also okay for a judge to deny bail if he feels the defendant will be of danger to the public or commit another crime. 


When someone is assigned a bail amount, they aren't always able to pay it off because of the high value of it or because they don't have the cash to do so. This is where a bail bondsman comes in. If the defendant is unable to pay the amount of bail in cash, they are allowed to hire a bail bond agent to help. 


A bail bond agent will pay the cash for the defendant as long as the defendant can pay 10%-20% of the bail amount in fees for the bail bondsman's work. Once the bail bondsman pays off the bail, they are also required to ensure the defendant attends their court date. If they do not show up to their trial, a bounty hunter will be assigned to the defendant to find him and bring him into court. 

Bail bondsman in a business suit

How do I contact a bail bond agent?

There are plenty of bail bond companies out there that you can contact if you need to get out of jail. If you want to contact an agency that is near the jail you are located in, you will want to hire Sportsman's Bail Bonds. Sportsman's Bail Bonds has bail bond agents located near the county jails in Utah. You can get ahold of an agent by calling 801-623-6877. 

Man on the phone with a client

What happens when I contact a bail bondsman?

Once you've contacted a bail bondsman, you will need to have as much information available of the person you wish to bail out of jail. Some of these include their first and last name, the I.D. of the defendant, their address, phone number, and where they work. This ensures that they have every possible option to help the defendant show up to their trial.  

Two men having a discussion at a table

Why do I need a bail bondsman?

The court sets a bail amount at the amount they feel is necessary to ensure that the defendant shows up to court. If the defendant is unable to pay off this bail in cash, the court feels as though they will have the potential to flee. When a bail bond agent agrees to pay off the loan as a bail bond, they agree to make sure the defendant shows up to court no matter what happens. Because of this, the court feels as though the defendant will be in good hands and trusted not to flee the trial. There are, however, some cases where the judge will give the defendant a personal recognizance bond. This means they do not have to pay anything to the court but instead sign a form that says they will attend their trial. If they do not show up to their court date, they are required to pay a high fee to the court.

person holding up hands in fists wearing hand cuffs