It's very distressing to find out that a family member has been arrested and is being held in jail. You may want to do everything you can do to help, and that usually means helping them with their bail needs. One of your first moves should be to phone a bail bond company.

Have Information Ready

If you were able to get the following information from your family member when they called from jail, you are one step closer to arranging for their release. If not, you should phone the local correctional facility to find out more. Your family member may be in the city jail, or they could also be held in the county jail. You can often look up inmates online, but calling the jail works too. Once you make contact, try to get the following information because the bail bond company will need it:

The cost of the bail: Bail is often extremely expensive, but bail bond companies work with people to get their family members out of jail for just a percentage of that amount. To find out how much you need to pay the bail bond company, you will need to know the cost of the bail in full. It should be mentioned that there can be some lag time between the arrest, the phone call to you, and the arraignment. An arraignment is a quick appearance in front of the judge to be officially informed of the charges, to enter a plea, and to be informed of the bail cost.

The charges: It's helpful to find out the nature of the charges your family member is being charged with.

Phone a Local Bail Bond Company

You might want to search online or use a phone book to locate bail bond companies near the jail. It's very important to work with a bond company located in the same general area your family member is being held. Bail bond agents are often friendly and very easy to work with, and they will be glad to give you the cost of the bail bond once they know the bail cost and the charges. You will probably need to appear in person at the bond company so that you can complete the paperwork and pay the bond fee (the percentage of the bail).

You might be able to have your family member out of jail in a matter of hours once you make that first phone call. To find out more, talk to a company like First Choice Bail Bonds in your area.