Where does your bail money go?

Posting bail to secure a friend’s or relatives’ freedom after their arrest is the best thing you can do for them. Bail can be in the form of cash or surety. Bail is the collateral that loved ones give to the court as a guarantee that the defendant will appear in court. But do you know where the bail money goes?

What is bail?

A judge determines whether a defendant should be granted bail or not. Flight risk, crime severity, and the danger a defendant may pose to the community are some of the factors that the judge may consider. Bail serves as the promise to the court that the defendant will appear for the court hearings. If the judge sets a high bail amount it may be a challenge for your loved ones to raise the amount. They may seek help from a bondsman company.

 Where the bail money goes

After posting bail, the court will hold the money pending hearing and verdict of the court. The defendant must attend all court hearings. Failure to attend any of the court dates will lead to forfeiture of the bail amount. The judge will also issue a warrant of arrest for the defendant. It may be hard for the defendant to secure bail if he has a record of violating bail conditions. In case the bail was secured by a bail bondsman company, they will hunt for the defendant and produce him in court. They may ask the court for additional time to bring the defendant to court. The bondsman company may then cancel the bail and have the defendant re-arrested.

In case of violations of the bail conditions, you will forfeit the bail amount. The court distributes the bail amount to various states or counties. They follow the set penal code rules in disbursing the bail amount. But after successful case hearing, and acquittal of charges, the bail amount will be refunded back to the defendant, or the bondsman company.