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What Happens to Bail Money
Getting out of jail is the first thought people have once arrested. Bail money works by allowing defendants to get released to await trial.
If you or a loved one have been arrested and paid bail, you may wonder where the money goes. This article will answer this question and provide facts to give you a better understanding of your options.
What is Bail?
The bail amount depends on the severity of the criminal offense or crime and acts as an insurance policy guaranteeing that the person will appear in court. The judge will also take other factors into consideration.
The bail posted is the amount of money paid to secure a defendant's release from jail by promising they will show up for court.
How to Pay Bail
If you have the cash, you can put up the total bail amount. Because most people do not have hundreds or thousands of dollars, they often need assistance. Another option is a property bond, in which the defendant uses real estate property as collateral. If a person fails to show up for court, their property will be seized.
Another way to raise bail money is by asking a friend or family member for help. If a person does not have the money for the posted bail amounts, they have the option of hiring a bail agent.
Where Does the Bail Money Go?
We often get the question of what is done with bail money. Well, the answer to the question of what is done with bail money is, if you paid cash the court holds the money until the defendant's trial is over. If the defendant shows up for all court dates, you receive a refund on the set bail money.
Should the defendant fail to show up for court procedures, they forfeit their bail money. The court keeps the full amount and distributes it throughout the county and city to meet fiscal demands.
Will I Receive a Refund of My Bail Money if Found Guilty?
Many people mistakenly believe they will not have their cash bail money returned after a guilty verdict. Posted bail is put in place by the court system to ensure the individual shows up for their trial dates.
Even if the defendant pleads guilty or is found guilty, the entire bail amount will be returned as long as they show up for all court dates. Skipping a court date will lead to a forfeiture of bail and a bench warrant.
A Bail Agent Can Help Through Bail Bonds
When defendants cannot afford their cash bail amount, they often hire a bail bondsman or bail bonds company. To hire a bail agent, you will need to pay a bail bond fee upfront. This amount is a certain percentage of the bail amount.
Hiring bail bond agents like us to write a surety bond is much cheaper for defendants because they do not have to pay the full bail amount. You will often hear surety bonds called bail bonds.
What happens to bail money? If you hire a bail bond agent, you will not receive a bail bond fee refund. The amount paid to the bail bondsman is for services rendered for their bail bonds and is non-refundable.
Even if the defendant is found not guilty or shows up for all court dates, the fees act as payment towards the bail bond company for services provided.
We Are Here to Answer Your Bail Bond Questions
Navigating the legal system is challenging and stressful. The process of paying bail is often complicated and riddled with delays.
As a bail bond agency, we want to help make the bail bond process easier. We are here to answer your bail bond money questions and get you or a loved one out of jail as rapidly as possible. Contact us now to get started.
