We understand that most people aren’t going to be very familiar with the terms that are used during the bail bond process. However, we work in this industry every day and want to give you some basic explanations of different terms that you may hear when someone you love has been arrested. There are many different terms that we could include, so we will split them up over many different blogs, but these are a few to get started!
Accused
This is the person that has been arrested and accused of a crime. They will be waiting for their trial, and have not been convicted as of yet.
Alias Warrant
This type of warrant is issued if the person that was accused does not appear at all of the required court dates, or doesn’t respond to a citation. Once the warrant is issued, the accused person can be arrested. This can be lifted, but in general, the accused person needs to return for all required dates.
Bail
This is the money that is given or pledged to the court in order for the suspect to be released from prison. This ensures that the arrested person will have the incentive to return for court dates, and if they fail to do so, then this money will be forfeited and the person will have a warrant issued against them.
Bail Bondsman
This is anyone who has been licensed by the state to act as a surety for someone that has been arrested and agrees to pledge the money required to the court.
Cash Bond
This type of bond is where the entire amount of bail must be paid in full, up front before the person is released.
Charge
An accusation against a person, and is usually made against someone that is brought to trial.
Conviction
This is the formal verdict of the jury or judge that someone is guilty of a crime.
Court Order
The judge or court has issued direction that a person much do, or not do some action or something. This could be a wide range of different requirements.
Defendant
The person that has been accused and is being tried in a court of law.
These are just a few of the dozens and dozens of different terms that could be used in the justice system and bail bond process. We hope this helps! But we will also be assisting you through the bail process, and we will make it as simple as possible and make sure you understand exactly what is going on and what you need to do during the entire situation.
