Anyone who gets arrested and goes to jail in Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan, Wasilla or Fairbanks or other major city had better understand how bail bonds work in Alaska; it’s very important as you may need the services of a local bail agent who knows the area. Upon arrest, you are taken to county jail where you are processed into the Alaskan legal system.
Getting released from jail in any major city in Alaska may take from one to three hours or longer depending on a number of circumstances. Those circumstances being the time of day you were arrested, how many people were arrested before you that still need to be processed (mug shots, fingerprints, etc), and day of the week (Saturday being the busies in Juneau).
The final step is facing a judge who will set a trial date and the amount for bail. It is that point when you can contact a bail bonds Alaska agent if you desire. But, if you want to be released from jail faster in Wasilla, you need to understand how bail bonds work in Alaska, read on.
How Bail Bonds Work in Alaska: The Cold Hard Facts
Basically, once you have been processed through the legal system in Alaska, you have one of three choices to make;
- Stay in jail until the trial date which can take weeks or months
- Pay the bail yourself which may be in the thousands of dollars
- Hire a bail bonds agent to pay the bail for you
Most Alaskans tend to choose bail bond agents for a variety of reasons, and the biggest reason is due to the high cost of bail.
The Bail Bonds System in Alaska
A bail bonds agent is there to help you in case you do not have the money to pay the court for your bail. For the services of the agent, you are required to pay a pre-set fee which is generally much smaller than the total amount of the bail. Paying only the premium allows you to spend what you saved on a lawyer to fight your case or rent, food etc.
How Much is Your Alaska Bail?
Depend on one of the largest Alaska bail companies with flexible payment plans and terms available. Enter in the total bail amount needed to determine your approximate bail costs of find out if you’re eligible for a bail loan:
Once you have paid the fee, bail bond agent basically signs a contract with the court to ensure that you will arrive for your trial date. If you arrive on time for your trial, then the court will cancel the contract with the bail bond agent. However, if you do not show up for your trial, then the bail bond agent is required to pay the court the full amount of the bail until you arrive.
At this point, the bail bond agent may request the services of a bounty hunter who is authorized to find you wherever you may have gone and bring you back to court. Once you have arrived, the court will then refund the bail money to the bail bond agent.
Alaska Bail Bonds Charges & Fees
The bail bonds agent can be contacted after the bail has been set and they will start by charging a non-refundable fee which in Alaska is no more than 10% of the total amount of the bail. So for example, if the bail is set at $1,000, then you will owe the bail bond agent $100.
If you do not have the 10%, then many bail bond agents have bail bond loan programs where you borrow the money for their fee and pay an interest rate. Here, the bail bonds agents have a little leeway in terms of what they can charge for their loans. However, most bail bond agents charge a reasonable interest fee based on your credit rating or any collateral you may have to cover the loan itself.
| 3 Months | 6 Months |
|---|---|
| 9 Months | 12 Months |
For more information on Alaska bail laws and how bail bonds work in Alaska, you can contact the Alaska Division of Insurance which oversees bail bonds Alaska agents. Please also take a moment to read Bail Bond Regulations in Alaska.
If my bail is $150,000 in Alaska, how much should I pay?
We get questions about Alaska bail prices all the time. To help calculate your bail, we’ve set up a simple Fairbanks bail schedule. Below is a simple table to help you better understand the premium rates for bail. Here, we will calculate bail using a standard of 10% if you were arrested in Ketchikan:
| CASH BAIL AMOUNT | PREMIUM % | BAIL COST |
|---|---|---|
| $1000 | 10% | $100 |
| $5,000 | 10% | $500 |
| $10,000 | 10% | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | 10% | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | 10% | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | 10% | $10,000 |
| $150,000 | 10% | $15,000 |
| $250,000 | 10% | $25,000 |
| $500,000 | 10% | $50,000 |
| $1,000,000 | 10% | $100,000 |