Many people are familiar with the basic idea of making bail. You can put the entire amount up yourself or you can put approximately 10% down and a bail bondsman will cover the other 90%. The upside of putting the money down yourself is that except for some fees, you'll get most of it back. When you pay a bail bondsman they keep that 10% as their fee. Note these fees may vary somewhat based on your jurisdiction.
What many people don't realize is that the governmental body (police, sheriff) holding the prisoner may have their own set of rules regarding that prisoner's release. In a recent case that I was involved in, the judge had required a $30,000 bond. After the fees were paid to the bail bondsman, we expected the prisoner would be let go. However, that did not happen. The sheriff in this case made additional demands. Specifically they required that they people putting up the bond also provide deeds to their homes, as well as proof of equity. Further, the sheriff did not declare this requirement until after the money had been put up and when it was too late in the day to go get the required documentation.
It was after 5:00. The judge in this case had gone home, and many other governmental offices and banks had closed. Fortunately, the media had not gone home for the day. Through phone calls from both local and national media, suddenly brought a change of tune from this particular sheriff.
The moral of the story is: don't assume this will be an easy process. Make sure you find out in advance exactly what will be required, especially in high profile cases. There may be people with their own agendas.
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