Curious to know what happens if someone jumps bail and you’re the cosigner? Well, for starters, we hope this doesn’t happen to you. It’s a stressful and serious situation that can have lasting, negative impacts on both you and the defendant.
Let’s take a quick look at what happens if a defendant jumps bail.
What happens with a failure to appear in court?
If a defendant jumps bail, they also forfeit their bail. If you’re the cosigner, this means you also forfeit any bail money you may have paid. This is technically known as a failure to appear in court, and it is a crime. The court will issue a warrant for the defendant’s arrest, and any fees or fines racked up during this period may become your responsibility.
This being said, even though you’re financially responsible for bail, you will not be criminally charged with anything. So don’t worry — you’re not going to jail.
What happens if you worked with a bail bond agent?
If you worked with a bail bond agent instead of posting bail directly to the court, you will still be held financially responsible for a failure to appear in court.
On top of the additional fees and fines associated with finding the defendant, you may also end up losing valuable, personal property. When you sign for a bail bond, you may also use collateral as a way to secure the bond. This could be a vehicle, jewelry, or even a home. When a defendant jumps bail, this property could end up as the property of the bail bond company.
To make matters a little more stressful, you’ll also be responsible for helping the bail bond track down the defendant. In some cases, this could prove to be near impossible.
Are you worried about a failure to appear in court?
A failure to appear in court is never a fun situation to deal with. This being said, it’s important to do everything you can to avoid it at all costs. Here’s what we suggest:
Never cosign for someone you don’t fully trust
Never offer up collateral that is vital to your day-to-day life (ex. your house or primary vehicle)
Always remain in close contact with the defendant
Always travel with the defendant to court
Work with a lawyer to excuse any unexpected absences
Need help posting bail? We can help.
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping people in Bakersfield and throughout Kern County post bail. If you have more questions about this process, give us a call or send us a message online.
Interested in learning more about bail bonds? Check out our resources below!
Wondering what happens when you bail someone out of jail? Then you’ve come to the right place.
There are a few things you should know when you go through the bail process, including:
The options you have to post bail on behalf of a loved one
What the defendant is responsible for after posting bail
What happens to bail money after the court process is complete
Let’s break these down.
How can you post bail?
There are a few different ways you can post bail for a loved one. The two most common ways include paying the bail directly with cash or check OR working with a bail bond company.
If you’re wondering which option is best for you, check out our article on whether or not bail bonds are worth it.
In some situations, the defendant may also be given the opportunity to sign for an Own Recognizance Bond (OR Bond). This does not require a temporary cash payment to the court, but only certain individuals and charges are approved for an OR Bond.
What happens after you post bail?
After you bail someone out of jail, everyone can go home! However, it’s important to remember that the defendant MUST return to jail on the assigned date. If they do not, a warrant for their arrest will be issued and the bail money will NOT be returned.
On top of this, there might be certain conditions that must be maintained by the defendant. For example, the defendant may be required to obey all laws, not partake in drugs, and avoid certain places or people.
What happens after the process is complete?
After the entire court process is complete, bail money will usually be returned back to the person who posted it. This is true whether the defendant is found innocent or guilty.
However, if the defendant is found guilty, certain fees or fines may come out of the total bail amount. If you’re worried this might be the case with you, speak to your lawyer or the court. They’ll have all the information you need.
Need help posting bail? We can help.
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping people in Bakersfield and throughout Kern County post bail. If you have more questions about this process, give us a call or send us a message online.
Interested in learning more about bail bonds? Check out our resources below!
The purpose of a bail bond is to help a defendant post bail. Once the defendant posts bail, they can leave jail and return home until their assigned court date. Although a defendant can post bail on their own or with the help of a loved one, bail is usually too expensive to afford. Therefore, they seek out the help of a bail bond agent.
There are a variety of factors involved when seeking out a bail bond. Here are the most important factors you should know:
To get a bail bond, there is a fee required. In California, this fee is 10% of the total bail amount. If a bail bond agent says they can charge you less than the 10% fee, be cautious.
The bail bond fee is non refundable — this is how a bail bond agent is able to provide this service to individuals. Even if the defendant is found innocent of the crime, you will not be refunded the bail bond fee.
If you seek out a bail bond, collateral will need to be considered. This collateral should make up the total bail amount (minus the bail bond fee).
If the defendant does not return to court on the assigned date, your collateral might be taken by the bail bond agent. Therefore, it’s important to fully trust the defendant before signing for a bail bond.
In some cases, it is possible to remove your name from a bail bond. You will need to review the paperwork completely before signing to make sure this is part of the parameters. If it is, there may be another fee required.
Interested in learning more about bail bonds?
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping people in Bakersfield and throughout Kern County post bail. If you have more questions about this process, give us a call or send us a message online. Or, check out our additional bail bond resources below!
If you’ve helped someone post bail, it is possible to get your name off the bail bond. However, there are a few things you’ll need to be aware of — including potential fees and the future of the defendant.
Let’s take a look at how you can remove your name from someone’s bail bond and what this means for you and the defendant.
What to know about removing yourself from a bail bond
First things first, not all bail bond agreements allow for you to remove yourself from a bail bond. This being said, you will need to contact your bail bond agent to see if removing yourself from the bail bond is even an option. In future situations, this should be a question you ask during the initial bail bond process.
If you are able to remove yourself from the bail bond, then you should know that — in nearly every situation — you will not get the bail bond fee returned. The purpose of revoking your name from a bail bond should not be to get your fee money back. Instead, it should be because you feel like your trust in the defendant is not as strong as it once was.
For example, if you feel as if the defendant will skip their upcoming court date, then this is a very good reason to contact the bail bond agent and to get yourself removed from the bail bond.
If the bail bond agent agrees, then they will inform the court of the bail bond status and the defendant will be required to return to jail. At this point, the defendant will be required to remain in jail until or if they can post bail by other means. The bail bond agent may also charge a fee for the removal process. This fee should be disclosed up front in your contract or during the bail bond application process.
Have more questions about bail bonds?
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we have decades of experience helping people in Bakersfield and throughout Kern County post bail. If you have more questions about this process, give us a call or send us a message online. Or, check out our additional bail bond resources below!
Where does bail money go? After you’ve provided the court with the full bail amount, the bail money is held by the court. The money is held only temporarily since bail money is returned to the defendant after the trial process is over. This is true even if the defendant is found to be guilty of the charges.
However, if the defendant fails to appear in court, the bail money is no longer held temporarily. Instead, the court will seize the bail money and not return it. It is then distributed throughout the city and county as the court sees fit.
This being said, if you are posting bail on behalf of a family member or friend, you need to make sure that you fully trust this individual to return to court on the required date(s). If you can’t trust this individual, you may want to reconsider posting bail on their behalf.
Keep in mind, this is also true if you work to post bail with the help of a bail bondsman. Even though a bail bond company will post bail for you and you are only required to pay a 10% fee, you are still on the hook for the total bail amount. This will be clearly notated somewhere in your bail bond contract, and you will be asked to provide collateral as a result (which can be homes, cars, jewelry, or other valuable items). If your loved one does not return to court, the bail bond company can seize your listed collateral.
Need help posting bail?
At Cowboy Bail Bonds, we provide bail bond services in Bakersfield and throughout Kern County. If you have questions about how or when to post bail, give us a call or send us a message. We’d love to help.
In the meantime, check out our additional bail bond resources to learn more about the bail bond process:
If a loved one has been hit with a DUI and you’re researching DUI bail bonds, rest easy knowing the process is no different than any other bail bond.
However, if you’re not familiar with bail bonds, then you should know that the bail bond process itself is not complicated. And depending on your bail bond agent, the process can be rather quick and painless.
Let’s take a look at DUI bail bonds and what your next steps should be.
What you should know about DUI bail bonds
If your loved one is facing a first-time DUI charge with no serious injuries or damage involved, then the total bail amount should be relatively low. In fact it could be as low as $2,000 (and in some cases, as low as $500).
If this is the case, a bail bond might not be the right move for you. Take a look at our blog detailing when and why you should pay bail on your own rather than seeking out a bond.
However, in other more serious DUI incidents, you could be facing a total bail amount that’s anywhere between $5,000 and $50,000. In these situations, most people will require help from a bail bond agent.
At this point, your first step should be to contact a local bail bond company. They’ll take over the process from there. In fact, after you’ve signed the bail bond paperwork and paid the bail bond fee (which is usually around 10% of the total bail amount in California), then you’re done. The bail bond agent will take care of the rest.
Afterward, your loved one will be responsible for returning to the court on the assigned date. If convicted of the DUI, more requirements can follow, such as jail time, fines, license suspension, community service, and more.
Many people trying to get a loved one out of jail wonder, “Is it better to pay bail or bond?” And to answer this question, it depends on your individual circumstances.
Let’s break down the question, “Is it better to pay bail or bond?”
Is bail on the cheap end?
Bail is never exactly “cheap” — but sometimes, it is cheaper than it usually is. In this case, we’re talking about misdemeanors or first time offenses, and you’ll be looking at a bail between $1,000 and $5,000.
If you can afford to pay this amount, then you should pay bail — as opposed to contacting a bail bond agency. Since bail is refunded in whole and a bond is not, you can pay the $5,000 to the court and get the full $5,000 back once the court process is finished.
Can you be out the full bail amount for up to a year?
Even if you can afford to pay the full bail amount, can you be without this money for up to a year (or even longer)? If not, then you should consider paying for a bond instead. Even though you will not be refunded the 10% fee, at least you will not be out a large sum of money for a long time period.
If you can’t afford to pay the full bail amount, then this is obviously the best reason to pay for a bond instead. You will only be required to pay for 10% of the total bail amount and the bail bond agent will take care of the rest.
Then contact Cowboy Bail Bonds today. We have decades of experience helping people throughout Kern County get their loved ones out of jail quickly, and we’d love to help you, too.
Located in downtown Bakersfield, we’re available 24/7/365. Give us a call today, and let’s get your loved one out of jail.
If you’re wondering, “How much do you pay for a $1,000 bond?” — there are a few different things to keep in mind.
For starters, bail and bond are two different things. Your bond amount is set by a bail bond company. Therefore, if your bond is $1,000, then you have to pay the entire $1,000 to the bail bond company. This likely means your total “bail” amount (set by the court) is around $10,000.
However, if your total bail amount is $1,000, then you’ll be required to pay around $100 to the bail bond company — since the bail bond fee in California is 10%.
$10,000 (bail) X 10% (bail bond fee) = $1,000 (bail bond)
$1,000 (bail) X 10% (bail bond fee) = $100 (bail bond)
This being said, bail is returned after the court process is completed. For this reason, if your total bail amount is relatively low, then you may want to consider paying the total bail amount to court as opposed to working with a bail bond company (since the 10% fee set by the bail bond company is not returned). However, you should only consider this option if you can afford to be without that money for a long period of time (since the court process can take a while to conclude).
If you’d like to learn more about this process, check out some additional resources:
If you’re wondering, “How much of a bond do you have to pay?”, then you’ve come to the right place. And hopefully, you might even be a little relieved by the answer.
Let’s break down the answer to the question, “How much of a bond do you have to pay?”
What percentage of bond do you have to pay?
A bail bond is usually around 10% of the total bail amount set by the court. This means that if your bail is set at $10,000, your bond should cost around $1,000.
While there may be additional fees accompanied with the bond, they should all be disclosed up front.
When should you get a bail bond?
If you have enough money saved up to pay for the total bail amount, then you can pay the total amount to the court instead of working with a bail bond company. Here are a few things to consider if you’re debating this option:
Do you trust the defendant? If you don’t and the defendant skips court, then you won’t get your bail money returned. In this case, it might be a good idea to work with a bail bond company. You won’t have to put up the full bail amount (only 10%), and you’ll have a bail bond agent who will take actions to return the defendant to court (usually with the help of a bounty hunter).
Is the total bail amount low? If so, then you may not want to work with a bail bond company. Since your bail amount is returned after the court process is over (and if the defendant shows up to court), then you could potentially save money this way. While you will have to spend money initially, you will eventually get it back.
Is the total bail amount high? Even if you can afford the total bail amount, odds are your money will be wrapped up for a while. If you can’t afford to have that money unavailable for a long period of time, then you may want to work with a bail bond company.
What are bail bond rates and is it possible to negotiate a cheaper rate?
In California, bail bond rates are set by the state, and it is not possible to negotiate a cheaper rate. The state-mandated bail bond rate is 10%, and if a bail bond company approaches you with a cheaper one, then you should remain cautious. This likely means that the company is not properly licensed to do business in the state of California.
However, it is possible to get a “better” deal — even if it isn’t necessarily an option to get a better rate.
For example, some bail bond companies might accept more forms of collateral, which could prove to be useful in your particular situation. Another example would be payment terms. Some bail bond companies may require the fee all up front, while others might be willing to work with you and negotiate payment terms that suit your individual financial needs.
Therefore, while the bail bond rate itself is non-negotiable, you do have options. Make sure you conduct research and find a bail bond company who is willing to work with you and your family during such a difficult time.
