Calculating Business Risks

Posted on: 9 March 2022

When a person is arrested and charged with a crime, they go before a judge to set bail. This allows the arrested person to go home until it's time for the hearing.

Bail bondsmen help financially by loaning money to the person because the amount of bail is often more than a person has available. Before deciding if going through a bail bond service is right for you, read through these FAQs about the service.

How Does The Bail Bond System Work?

If a defendant is unable to pay the amount of bail set by a judge, a bail bond is a way to get the money. This means the defendant goes home until their court date.

If not for the bail bond, the defendant would remain in jail until the court date. So, this is a service for those who do not have the money to pay the full amount of bail. The defendant does have to pay a percentage of the bail amount to the bail bondsman.

If the defendant has the money for bail, no bail bond service is needed. In most situations, the defendant has the option to pay the full amount of bail on their own.

Does The Defendant Get Bail Money Back?

If a person pays cash for bail, the court refunds the money after the defendant makes all required court appearances. So, this means if you don't get money from a bail bond service and you or a family member pays your bail it's returned—even if the defendant is found guilty.

However, money paid to a bail bond agent is non-returnable. The percentage a defendant pays for a bail bond is kept for service provided.

Does Bailing Out A Defendant Make You Responsible For Them?

If you paid to have someone bailed out or used a bail bond service, the money you paid is not returned if the defendant misses the court date. However, you are not legally liable for any actions of the defendant.

While you aren't criminally liable, any money or collateral you put up for bail is lost if the defendant skips the court date. This is important to keep in mind when bailing out friends and family. It is essential to make sure you can trust them to do what's right after bail is paid.

Bail bonding services are helpful for those in a bad financial situation who don't' want to remain in jail until the court date.

For more information on bail bonding, contact a company near you.