A surety bond is a type of bond that provides a financial guarantee that a defendant will appear in court. It involves three parties: the defendant, the bail bond agent, and the surety company. To obtain a surety bond, at least three parties are typically involved. A friend or family member of the accused who is trying to get them out of jail is the first person necessary to get a surety bond. Generally, someone in jail has a difficult time making such arrangements without help. So they need a friend or family member to step in. Then, a bail bondsman and a surety bond company also become involved.

A surety bond is not as simple, fast, or straightforward as a cash bond. To obtain a surety bond, someone requests money from a bail bondsman to bail out a defendant. The bail bondsman then contacts a surety bond company to provide the bond. The person requesting the bond pays only a low percentage of the full bail amount in cash.

Posting any bond carries a risk of loss. If you get a surety bond for someone, you risk losing the 10% that you put down as well as your collateral if the defendant does not appear for court.

In summary, a surety bond is a financial guarantee that a defendant will appear in court, and it involves three parties: the defendant, the bail bond agent, and the surety company. It is not as simple as a cash bond, and it carries a risk of loss if the defendant does not appear for court.