| It's a pretty common scene; a man who was just | | | | financially, you may sympathise with your friend and |
| looking to help out a friend standing outside the bail | | | | want to help; they'll probably tell you that you'll get your |
| bond office with an empty wallet an no car to drive | | | | money back as soon as they appear in court, which is |
| home in. These things happen worryingly often, and it's | | | | true. Unfortunately, some people decide that they are |
| primarily because people simply don't understand the | | | | going to betray their friends and try to skip out on their |
| bail bonds process, and they get suckered into putting | | | | bail. If this happens, not only will you lose your 10% |
| down huge amounts of money when they should | | | | deposit, you'll also lose any collateral you put up, or |
| have just ignored their friend's call for help. | | | | you'll have to pay the full amount of the bond. This |
| You don't have to help a friend in need. That's one | | | | could land you in deep financial difficulty, so what |
| thing that people really need to learn; in fact, it's often | | | | started out as a seemingly innocent favour has |
| true that you're doing them more good by not indulging | | | | crippled you for life. |
| their selfish desires, but most people ignore this. When | | | | This might sound alarmist, but it's a fact that most |
| you're faced with a friend who ends up stuck in jail, | | | | people try to ignore. Unless you can fully trust the |
| and you're the guy that he/she decided to phone, | | | | defendant, it's not worth it. Bail bonds can be a great |
| you're clearly going to want to help. But the fact is, | | | | tool to help out people in your family, or close friends, |
| most people aren't in a position to help. Most people | | | | but they can also ruin your life very quickly if you aren't |
| just don't have the kind of money so that they can bail | | | | careful. Instead of trying to please your friend, take a |
| people out of jail and not worry about the risk they are | | | | step back and look at your own needs, and decide |
| taking. If you've got a family, or you're struggling | | | | which is the best course of action. |