Bail or bond (in this case, bail and bond mean the same thing) is an amount of money in cash or in the form of a surety bond for the purpose of ensuring that a person attends all required court appearances relating to a court case. Bond allows an arrested person (defendant) to be released from jail until his or her case is completed. There are two basic types of bail or bond: 1) a cash bond, posted with the court or jail, or 2) a surety bond, posted through a surety bail bond company such as A-Affordable Bail Bonds.

A defendant can post his or her own cash bond with the court or jail. If the defendant cannot afford to bond him or herself out of jail, any other person over the age of 18 can post the cash bond. If a defendant chooses to pursue a surety bail bond instead of a cash bond, most surety bail companies, like A-Affordable Bail Bonds, require a cosigner who is at least 18 years of age to sign the bail documents. Because of the differences in bond amounts and the uniqueness of circumstances, the criteria to qualify as a cosigner for a bond can vary from bond to bond and bail company to bail company.

A bail bondsman, bondsperson, bail agent, and bond agent are all names used for a person who is licensed by the Idaho Department of Insurance to sell surety bonds and is authorized to conduct business in the State of Idaho. He or she is an agent for an insurance company that sells surety bonds.

A surety bond is an agreement made between a person and a bondsman. The bondsman agrees to post the necessary bond so the defendant can be released from jail. This agreement is backed by an insurance company contract signed by the person and the bondsman on behalf of the insurance company. There must be enough cash or collateral to cover the full amount of the bond in case the defendant misses his or her court date. Only a person who has been licensed by the Idaho Department of Insurance may post a surety bond.

If you do not have the cash to cover the full bond amount and sheriff's fee, you may wish to hire a bondsman to bond yourself or someone else out of jail. A surety bail bond through a bail bond company like A-Affordable Bail Bonds typically costs 10 percent of the total bond amount, plus any additional fees. This can vary from company to company, however. A-Affordable Bail Bonds is also authorized to provide a discounted rate of eight percent for active military, union members, and clients who have hired a private attorney to represent them. Also, as mentioned above, sometimes the court keeps a cash bond in part or in full to cover a defendant's court fines and fees. If you are bonding someone out of jail and you do not want to take the chance that all or part of your cash will be used to pay the defendant's court fines, fees, and restitution, you might want to hire a bail bondsman.

A surety bond will cost you 10 percent of the bond amount, an agent's fee, and a sheriff's fee. You will not get any of these fees back because they are non-refundable regardless of the guilt or innocence of the defendant and are fully earned upon the posting of the bond.

As a cosigner, you are responsible for ensuring that the defendant attends all court dates relating to the case. If the defendant misses a court date, you will be expected to help the bondsman find the defendant and get them back into court right away. If the bondsman has to search for or arrest the defendant in order to get him or her back into court, the cosigner must pay the bondsman's expenses for finding the defendant. If the cosigner and bondsman are unable to find the defendant and return him or her to the court within a set amount of time, the cosigner must pay the full amount of the bond in addition to any costs associated with searching for the defendant, as noted above. Before signing any contracts or promissory notes, make sure you read through them carefully and be sure that you understand them. Ask the bail agent or company, like A-Affordable Bail Bonds, if you have any questions prior to signing these types of documents. Always get copies of all documents you sign at the time you sign them. In the state of Idaho, all bail bond companies are required by state law to supply copies of these documents to the defendant and all cosigners on a bond.

A cash bond is the full amount of the bond required, paid in cash to the court or jail, to release a defendant from jail. In most cases, a cash bond can be posted at the courthouse during business hours, or at the jail after hours with an additional sheriff's fee or jail fee.

You may have the defendant turn him or herself in to jail any time before the defendant misses a court date. If the defendant is returned to the jail, you will need to get the required paperwork from court personnel at your local courthouse. Fill out the paperwork and return it to the court, and a deputy clerk will give it to the judge for approval. Once approved, it will usually take about two weeks for the money to be mailed to you.