What is a bail bond and how it works?

We compiled a definition and questions that might arise during the jail release

A “Bail” is a cash deposit or pledge to a court in order to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, with the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail (and possibly be brought up on charges of the crime of failure to appear).

After an inmate has been fully booked, a bail amount will be determined for his or her release. After the bail amount has been set you can call one of our professional bail bond agents to start the bail bond process and help your friend or loved one “post bail.”

A bail agent is a person permitted to solicit, negotiate, and affect undertakings of bail on behalf of any surety insurer. The bail bond process does not take long after the inmate has been fully booked.

The paperwork takes approximately 15-30 minutes. The release time after the jail receives our paperwork is generally one hour or less for local police stations and 4-8 hours for larger county jails. Generally speaking, the larger the holding facility, the longer it takes.

Once the bail bond is posted and accepted by a court or jail, liability is taken on the bail bond. At that point the bail bond premium is fully earned and is not refundable.

Each bonding office will have their own standards but for the most part you can expect them to accept various forms of bail collateral. Some example of collateral include:


· Real estate
· Cars
· Jewelry

When the bond has been ordered exonerated by the court. This happens when:


· The charges are dropped.
· The person enters into a negotiated plea and is sentenced.
· The person is granted deferred entry of judgement.
· The person is found innocent at trial.
· The person is sentenced at trial. Of course, the Collateral will only be returned if there is no outstanding balance due on the Premium.

There are remedies that can be done here as well, contact the bondsmen as soon as possible so that they can discuss your option in full detail with you.

The bond will be ordered forfeited by the court and a bench warrant is issued for the person’s arrest. The warrant will be entered in State and National locator systems and the fugitive may be apprehended. The Bail Agency will receive notice of the missed court appearance.

The Bail Agency normally calls the person’s home, work, and other references to try to find the fugitive and arrange a new court date As the co-signer you want to convince the fugitive to return to court as soon as possible. If the defendant reappears in court without delay you will only be liable for a small failure to appear fee and possibly court costs.

Typically, the longer the defendant delays making a new court date, the higher the fees will be. If ultimately the defendant has absconded and cannot be located within the time allowed by the court, the entire amount of the bond must be paid.

The bond will be ordered forfeited by the court and a bench warrant is issued for the person’s arrest. The warrant will be entered in State and National locator systems and the fugitive may be apprehended. The Bail Agency will receive notice of the missed court appearance.

The Bail Agency normally calls the person’s home, work, and other references to try to find the fugitive and arrange a new court date As the co-signer you want to convince the fugitive to return to court as soon as possible. If the defendant reappears in court without delay you will only be liable for a small failure to appear fee and possibly court costs.

Typically, the longer the defendant delays making a new court date, the higher the fees will be. If ultimately the defendant has absconded and cannot be located within the time allowed by the court, the entire amount of the bond must be paid.

You will have to get permission from the bonding office in writing before attempting to do so. If the court has given you direct instructions not to leave the state or country you must then get permission from the bail agent and the court before leaving. Otherwise you are subject to arrest.