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If you or any of your loved ones is arrested for some reason, you must be familiar with the term Bail. The type of bail you can apply for depends on the nature of the crime. Here you will find information on the two most used bail types – Cash bail and Bail bonds. You will also get to know about their pros and cons.

Cash Bail

Consider a situation where you or your loved one is arrested for a crime and waiting for your trial. Now, the court will set a date for a hearing to hold your trial. You must show up in the court on that date for the proceedings. Now, you can either stay in jail or pay the bail amount set by the judge to go back home. The money is like the security of you coming back to court. This procedure is called cash bail. People often call it the easiest bail because of its hassle-free nature. Following are some of its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages-

It is the fastest method to get bail. All you have to do is pay the bail amount, and you are free to go.
If you can arrange the money, there is no involvement of a third party.
Cash bail requires no paperwork, which can save your money and time.
If you pay the bail upfront, you can earn the trust of the court. It will award you with some leniency.
If you show discipline throughout the case and are declared innocent, you can even get a refund from the court for the bail.

Disadvantages-

You can pay the bail money only within the specified period and in a single payment. You cannot pay for it in installments.
If you show misbehavior of any kind, like not showing up for the hearing or show hostile behavior, you will lose your refund.
It is not always possible to arrange the bail amount easily.

Bail Bond

Sometimes, you cannot arrange for the bail amount. It can be a lot of money to put together in a short time. But if you can pay some portion of that money, you can strike a deal with the court using a professional bail bonds agent. They can arrange an agreement between you and the court, which stipulates that you will appear for all the hearings, and if you fail to do so, the bail agent will pay for your bail. This way, you can get bail in a lesser amount of money.

Advantages-

It costs you only a fraction of the original bail amount.
The bail bonds agents are professionals and know the complete procedures of the court.
They take the trouble away from you if you are the guarantor for your arrested loved one.
You can pay them in instalments over time.
They can even offer you financial guidance to arrange the rest of the bail money if needed.

Disadvantages-

The fee you pay to them is non-refundable.
Using a bail bonds agent requires a lot of paperwork.
Bail bonds agents are not accepted nationwide.

These are the two most popular bail types. The fees of bail bond agents vary from state to state. So if you are a resident of California, you can contact the Orange County bail bonds agent for further discussions on fees and requirements.