What are Bail Bonds and how do Bail Bonds work?

A surety bond, commonly known as a bail bond, is a contract between an agent licensed in New Jersey and the signer or co-signers, as a guarantee that the defendant will appear for scheduled New Jersey court appearances. In the event of failure to appear, sometimes called a "skip", the signers of the bail contract agree to pay the court the full amount of the bond. For our services, the defendant is charged a percentage of the bail amount. Upon being released, the defendant, a relative or a friend of the family typically contacts a bail agent to arrange for the posting of bail. Prior to the posting of a bail bond, the defendant or a co-signer must guarantee that they will pay the full amount of bail if the defendant does not appear in court. If the defendant "skips", the co-signer is immediately responsible for the full amount of the bail. If the defendant is located and arrested by the bail enforcement agent the cosigner is responsible for all expenses the bail enforcement agent ...  more