How Bail Bonds Work

American Chronicle: How Bail Bonds Work: "Without bail bonds, people who have been arrested are kept in jail until arraignment and possibly until trial. Arraignment is the hearing when the defendant is brought in front of a judge to hear the charges. While arraignment may be “only” three business days away, sometimes less, this can mean close to a week in jail waiting when weekends and holidays are considered. Jobs, homes and families suffer, not to mention the traumatic and frightening experience of incarceration.

Instead, most defendants post a bail bond so they can continue with their regular lives until the trial is finished. A bail bond is a guarantee that an individual defendant will return to court to stand trial. Here's how the process works:

Arrest and Booking

Once a person is arrested, he is taken to a local law enforcement station for booking. Depending on the size and workload of the jail, the booking process can take between one and 24 hours. Large, busy facilities take much longer than small ones. Small jails often transfer inmates to large, central facilities after a certain period of time.

When that happens, the inmate has to be booked into the larger facility, and the clock starts all over again. After the bail bond is posted, it may take the larger jail another 6 – 12 hours to complete all the release pro"