Hello, I'm Ron Breckenridge. As a hobby, I refinish broken jewelry I find at thrift stores and pawnshops. The jewelry often features major faults that ruin the structure and finish of that piece. While performing the repairs, I remove a lot of gold and replace it with new materials. The gold I remove sits in a little jar until I can use it again. Every once in awhile, I come across gold I just cannot use. The gold is still good for other purposes, but doesn't work well for jewelry repairs. I save this gold until it fills up another little jar, and then I take it down to the gold buyers. I'm provided with a small stipend depending on its market price, which is awesome. I want to discuss the process involved with gold buying on this site. I will also explore other ways to obtain gold to sell. Thanks.
The concept of being innocent until proven guilty in the U.S. justice system may seem pretty straightforward until you or someone you love is charged with a crime. Often, an arrested person must stay in jail until their trial date unless they post bail or make a plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney. Posting bail is a hardship for people who don't have much money, but fortunately, bail bonds services are available to help.
Guilty Until Proven Innocent?
At trial, a defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Immediately after being arrested, however, the situation is actually quite different.
Depending on the state and the crime, bail is set by law or decided on by a judge. The suspect is commonly presumed to be a flight risk, which is the reason for bail. The bail money, which can be substantial, is returned if the defendant appears at all scheduled court dates.
If the person can't post bail, they have two options. These include being incarcerated until trial or pleading guilty in return for reduced charges or a reduced sentence.
If the individual waits for trial and is found innocent, they never are compensated for the time they spent in jail. If they plead guilty, they have this mark on their criminal record now -- even if they didn't actually commit the crime.
How Bail Bonds Work
A bail bonds service provides a surety bond that functions as a contract guaranteeing the defendant will appear at trial. The company charges a fee, such as 10 percent of the bail, for this service. Thus, if bail is set at $5,000, the defendant pays a $500 fee to have the service post a surety bond, allowing release from jail.
If this person disappears, the bail bonds company owes the full amount of bail. The company usually sends out a bounty hunter to find the defendant and bring them back.
What This Means for You
This system may seem entirely unfair to you now that you're dealing with it personally. You're not the only one. When bail is set at a high level, a person may not have the 10 percent to pay for a bonds service. A lot of people don't have access to $2,500 for $25,000 bail, for example. They often wait in jail for weeks or even months until their trial date, which costs taxpayers a great deal of money.
Unless the system changes, people still must follow the current rules. Contact a bail bonds service such as Yusef Odeh Bail Bonds or another business for assistance.
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