Becoming a Florida Indemnitor

Bailing someone out of jail is a noble thing to even be thinking about, but it also comes with a number of responsibilities and risks, which is why it's not for everyone. Far too many people get caught in the trap of jumping into a tricky situation, then regretting it in the future when they've lost thousands of dollars. No matter who you're bailing out, they can't be trusted completely, and it's very possible that they will skip out on their bail, and you'll be the one left to handle the bill. If you know what you're doing, however, you can really help out a friend without too much difficulty.

When someone asks you to bail them out of jail, the first thing to consider is their past track record. Have they been in prison before? Have you ever loaned them money only to never get it back? Is it a one-way friendship, where you're the only side giving anything? If any of these are true, you need to seriously reconsider spending massive amounts of money to bail them out of jail. As soon as you co-sign that bail bond, the defendant is pretty much entirely your responsibility, and there are no excuses if you can't keep track of them.

If you work closely with the Florida bail bonds agency, you should be able to sort out the bond and get your friend released in a matter of hours, depending on the inmate release process that the jail uses. Trying to hurry the process along, or not having sufficient information to give to the bail bond agency, is only going to make things worse for both you and the prisoner. If you're fully prepared to put your money on the line (that's 10% of the full bail amount), then go ahead, but be warned that this is just a tiny part of the process. Over the next few months or weeks you are going to have to keep tabs on the prisoner, to ensure that he/she s exactly where you want them to be. If the court summons them, it's your responsibility to make sure they appear. Failure to do so, could result in the bond being forfeited, and you losing your money.