Criminal Law
2) I heard that at a bail hearing, I need someone called a surety to get me out. Who is this?
If a person has a bail hearing coming up, they are going to need support from family and friends to act as a surety. A surety essentially agrees to take responsibility for them and cannot accept money to do this. It is a serious commitment and their obligations include making sure that the accused person attends their scheduled court dates and follows the conditions of their bail order (recognizance). If an accused person fails to follow these conditions, it can mean that the surety owes to the court a certain amount of money.
Not everyone is qualified to be a surety, a judge or justice of the peace will consider a variety of factors in deciding who can act as a surety.