What If You Can’t Afford a Loved One’s Bail?

It’s the type of call no one really wants to receive. The phone rings in the middle of the night, and a scared loved one is on the other end. They’ve been arrested, they’re in jail, and they need you to bail them out. Covering bail sounds simple enough, but what if you can’t afford it? What are your options and what should your next move be?

Hire a Bail Bondsman

Maybe you can’t afford your loved one’s entire bail, but what about 10 percent plus a few service fees? If that would be doable, then hiring a bail bonds Allentown PA professional to cover the rest is a solid option to consider. It doesn’t hurt that a professional bail bondsman understands the process of bailing someone out more thoroughly than the average layman either, so he can help you figure out what to do next in addition to helping you post bail in the first place.

Liquidate Assets

If a loved one’s bail is set extremely high, you’re determined to cover it yourself, and you happen to have a few assets to your name, you can always elect to liquidate some of them in order to cover the bail. Once your loved one appears in court as required in order to settle the matter, you’ll get the money back.

Challenge the Bail

If neither of the above options is feasible, you can always formally request a bail hearing. At a bail hearing, you’ll be able to speak with the judge and ask him to reconsider your loved one’s bail or possibly even release the person on his own recognizance. The judge, of course, has the right to refuse the request if he sees fit, but a hearing is worth exploring anyway if there are no other options.

At the end of the day, it’s just plain stressful to deal with the arrest of a loved one, but finding a way to get them released even in the face of financial difficulties can help. Explore the possibilities today.