Bail Bonds in Clay County, AR – Ultimate Guide! Find Bondsmen, How Bail Works, Bail Costs

To better understand how bail bonds work in Arkansas, we need to look at the bail options available to you, as well as the process you will go through after your arrest. A person must be processed at the local county jail after being arrested in Arkansas. To be released from jail, several steps must occur, including being 'booked in' and posting bail. When the bail bond amount is decided, a bail bonds agent can be called to post the bail bond at the local jail. Using the service of a bail bondsman typically requires collateral and someone to co-sign on the bail bond.

Besides using a bail bondsman, you should know all bail options that exist in Arkansas in order to be released from jail. Bail bondsmen will fall under surety, or bail bonds, which will cost you a small percentage of the total bail amount. You cannot get this bail bond fee back, no matter if you are guilty or not, or if charges are dropped. It's the cost of using a bail bondsman and the risk they take. To avoid the fee, you have a few other options in Arkansas. You can be released from jail on Own Recognizance (OR) which is typically used on smaller crimes committed where the judge finds you low risk and has strong confidence that you will show up to court. You can also be released from an Arkansas jail by using a Property Bond. You will need personal property or land/home value that's equal or greater than the bail amount.

After bail is posted, the release process starts and typically takes anywhere from 1-2 hours to complete.

We highly recommend reading of our complete guide on how bail bonds work to learn more about the bail process. If you are attempting to bail someone out from another state, you can talk with your local bondsman - that's the bondman in your county, and not the state where the person is detained.

You or your loved one might be in a desperate situation to get out of jail as soon as possible, but knowing the fee structure will help you make the best decision when deciding on using a bail bond. In Arkansas, the minimum bail bond fee for a surety bond is $50. The cost is usually higher but the maximum a bail bondsman can charge you for the bail bond in Arkansas is 10% of the bail amount, as legally outlined in Arkansas Code 17-19-301. 10% is a competitive rate in the bail industry and falls within the norm of most US states.

Please note that 10% is the maximum that can be charged, so please call a few of our bail bondsman to see if anyone has a lower option for you. Ask for all the details involved with the bail bond, like any requirements on out-of-state travel, frequency of phone and in-person check-ins, any GPS tracking - these factors are not part of the bail bond fee but play an important role in which bail bondman you choose.

We recommend reading our guide on how much bail costs for a deep dive into fees bondsmen charge. It's also critical to understand that you do not get bail money back, specifically the 10% bail fee back from the bondsman.

Annual number of crimes that were reported to the police in Clay County, AR. Data is based on FBI crime statistics database.

We provide estimates on average bail prices for different misdemeanor and felony crimes in Clay County, AR. These are estimates since the exact amounts can vary substantially depending on your age, details involving the charge, criminal history, and prior record of not appearing to court.

• Assault – Ranges from $2,500 to $10,000 depending on type of assault
• Drugs – Possession of controlled substance can range from $500 to 2,500 bail
• Robbery - $25,000 to $100,000 bail amount
• Murder – No bail amount set or $1 million in some cases
• Manslaughter – Voluntary manslaughter $100,000 and involuntary starting at $25,000
• DWI / DUI - $500 to $2,500 depending on history and details surrounding the offense
• Public Intoxication – Typically $200 to $500
• Burglary - $20,000 minimum but up to $50,000 in some areas

Check our detailed guide to learn more about how bail is determined, find additional bail prices for crimes, and find out how bail can be lowered.

Key demographic data based on Census for Clay County, AR. Much of this information can be useful for bail bondsmen who are prospecting the county as a possibility to start a bail bonds business. Education, income, and employment statistics are vital in assessing the overall risk of a population when it comes to lending money for bail. Median home values are useful to determine collateral for property bail bonds.

Unemployment data is based on Bureau of Labor statistics. Employment status is the single most important piece of information that bail bondsmen consider when deciding to bail someone out of jail. Having a job and an active income stream is the single most impactful reassurance bondsmen can have.

Property bonds are a good way of making bail if an individual has equity in their property but very little or no cash. By looking at the median home values in Clay County, AR, we can roughly estimate the asset potential the county’s residents have.

We pride ourselves on our reader focused approach, which includes providing information on resources that may be useful.

It’s generally a good idea to get in touch with a lawyer to seek assistance for the trial, fair sentencing, and even to challenge the bail amount that is being set for the person you are looking to release from jail. Particularly when cash bail is set, it’s important that bail is set fairly, which is an area where a lawyer can assist.

If you need free or low-income legal help, you may qualify for assistance from the American Bar Association.

One of the shortcomings of the bail system is the time someone can be stuck in jail – it’s often enough time for a person to lose their job. To make matters worse, having a tarnished record further complicates matters. This is why we are listing reputable job centers near Clay County, AR to help get people back on their feet.