Many people aren’t familiar with the process of bail bonds and rightfully so—after all, most people only get arrested once in a lifetime. Although you’ll most likely never need to use bail bonds for yourself, you never know when you might need to help someone where a bail bond may be needed. In today’s blog, we explain the difference between transfer bonds and surety bonds:
Transfer Bail Bonds
The name “transfer bond” often misguides people into thinking that this kind of bail bond refers to a scenario in which the defendant has to be transferred elsewhere. However, that’s not what a transfer bond is. A transfer bond is in fact written for a person who has been taken into custody in another jurisdiction. Jurisdiction in this context refers to a different area that’s under the authority of another police force.
Let us take an example—assume a friend of yours has been arrested in Dallas whereas you are situated in Houston. She calls you up one night to tell that she got arrested for driving under influence (DUI) and requests you to bail her out. Given how far apart Dallas and Houston are, you probably don’t want to go all the way there to bail her out. This is where transfer bonds will come in handy for you—all you have to do is contact a bail bonds company and ask them to set up a transfer bond to get your friend released in Dallas!
Surety Bonds
Surety bonds are simply bail bonds in which the defendant and the bond agency sign an agreement that requires the defendant to show up at all the scheduled court hearings in exchange of the agency paying the bail amount for their pretrial release.
There are three parties involved in a surety bond agreement—the principal, the obligee and the surety. The principal (defendant) promises to perform an obligation (attend all court hearings) but if they fail to do so, the surety will have to pay the forfeited bail amount to the obligee. The surety refers to the co-signer of the defendant who agrees to pay compensation to the obligee (the bond company) in case the defendant fails to appear in court.
Confused about which bail bond you need? Get in touch with Lee Calhoun Bail Bonds—it’s a reliable and trusted bail bonds agency in Florida that offers one of the most hassle-free and affordable services. Our agents are experienced and work efficiently to make sure your loved one doesn’t have to wait too long. Find the closest office near you and visit us today!