Different Types of Bail
As promised in our last post: Basics Of Maryland Bail Bonds Pt. 1, we are back to explain the different types of bonds that are set in the state of Maryland. There are in fact a few types of bonds that are set, and various ways of posting these bonds in order to free your loved one. The different types of bonds are the regular bond, the cash bond, the corporate bond, the percentage bond, the unsecured bond, and release on own recognizance. There is alot of myth surrounding these types of bonds and the “miracles” that people think that a bailbondsman can perform for them, so lets begin to clear the air.
We will begin with the simplest and most basic form of release that a commissioner or judge can give and that is ROR. These three letters actually stand for Released on Own Recognizance, and very simply just mean that the person has been released with no strings attached, except for the fact that they have an obligation to appear in court.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognizance) Somehow people have managed to coin the term PR which means Personal Recognizance and is the exact same thing as ROR, and often times in the bail bonds industry we hear people say someone got out on their “own recon” which means the same thing as well, and which in fact is just butchering of the English language.
There is also another type of release condition which requires no monetary or collateral posting required ahead of time to secure a defendants release and that is called a UPB bond which stands for Unsecured Personal Bond and are also sometimes called Personal Pledges. Being released on a UPB is exactly the same as being RORed except the judge or commissioner has set a certain amount of money that you will be legally bound to if you don’t show up for your day in court. I have seen UPB bonds as low as $3500 and as high as $150,000. Miss court on one of these and you will find yourself being sued by the state of Maryland.
Everybody favorite bond is a cash bond……not really. Bail bondsmen hate cash bails because we cannot post them, and the public hates cash bails because they cannot afford them. A cash bail is just that: only cash acceptable. You cannot use property or a bondsman. You must take the amount in full in cash or certified check directly to the commissioners office in the county that the bail was set, and make sure that you have exact change when you do so. Child support bonds, and unpaid fines are examples of cash bails, but also there have been alot of cash bails arising on criminal and traffic cases recently.
Another but more uncommmon type of bond is the corporate bond. The corporate only is in essence the opposite of a cash bond because it means that you cannot deal directly with a commissioner and instead can ONLY deal with a bailbondsman. We like these bails! For whatever reason a judge or commissioner feels that this person would be better supervised, and monitored by a bail bonds agency rather than posting cash or property is reason enough for us. Seriously though, these bonds are few and far between, but if you receieve one make sure you call us.
Which brings us to the most common bond out there: the straight bond. When people talk about bail bonds, this is usually what they mean. The straight bond can be posted in many different types of ways. It can be paid in full %100 cash or certified check to the district court commissioner, or property can be posted, or a bailbondsman can be used for a small percentage and payments up to or %10 flat. When you post the full %100 of the bail to the court commissioner you may get that money returned to you by check in the mail a couple of months after the defendant goes to trial. If you go to a bailbondsman for a much smaller fee you do not get that money back. however unfortunately most people do not have the money to post bonds in full without the help of a friendly neighborhood bondsman such as us.
Before I bore you to death, let me wrap this up by explaining a couple details when it comes to posting bonds. If you are posting a cash bond you will need to have the exact amount of the bond in cash or certified bank check and take it to the commissioners office. Commissioner locations vary, some are attached to the jail such as in Harford county and Howard county, and some are attached to the district courthouse such as in Baltimore County, Towson, and Cecil County. Same goes if you are posting property, you must bring all of the necessary paperwork to the court commissioner. The necessary paperwork includes the deed, tax paperwork, and any mortgage statements/lien paperwork that you have on the property, as well as any one whose name is on the house must be present. The commissioner will then use a formula that uses the tax assessed value of the home (usually about %80 of actual value) and subtract any liens on the home, and whatever equity is left may be applied to the bail. If the equity in the property doesn’t cover the bail you will need to call us. If you cannot afford to pay the bail %100 or have no property to post you should call us! We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help you the best we can. I hope this information was helpful, if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to pick up the phone and ask!