Usually the best way to explain bail bonds so people understand is to first explain how bail works if you put up Cash Bail. Let’s say for example the bail is $10,000. A friend or family member can take $10,000 cash to the jail to get the person out. The full $10,000 will be held by the court to guarantee that the person will make all of their court appearances. If the person were to skip bail, the Indemnitor would lose the $10,000 if they could not get Defendant back to court. If the Defendant does make all of their court appearances, then about 6-8 weeks after the case is over the court mails the Indemnitor a check for the full $10,000.

Here’s how it works with a Bail Bond:
Let’s say the bail is $10,000. Then cost of the bond is $1,000. That’s the fee to put up the $10,000 and it is called the Premium. You do not get the $1,000 back. Once the person walks out of the jail, that money is spent. Whether they are out of jail for one minute or one year, it’s the same price. If charges are not filed, case dismissed, false arrest, etc. you do not get the premium back. But on the other hand if the case goes on for several months, maybe a year, they have the benefit of being free and being able to live a normal life in between court dates instead of being locked up.

Whatever you give us for collateral you do get back when the bond is exonerated and your account is paid in full. Quite often, people will call and say the judge, bailiff, court clerk or someone at the court told them their bond was exonerated and they can go get their money back from the bail bondsman. They must be referring to collateral not realizing bail bondsman don’t take collateral on every transaction anymore.

Questions and Answers:

As a Co-signer or Indemnitor, what are my responsibilities?

The purpose of the bail bond is to guarantee that the defendant shows up to court each and every time that they are ordered to do so. You are financially responsible for making sure the person you bail out makes all of their court appearances. As long as they do that, no one ever has to pay the full amount of the bail. For example, if the bail is $10,000 and you paid the $1,000 premium and the defendant made all of his court appearances you would not have to pay anything other than the initial $1,000 that you paid when the person was released from jail. If the person is sick, gets a flat tire, etc. and we are able to get them back into court with no more effort than a phone call, it doesn’t cost you anything. If we have to hire fugitive recovery agents (aka Bounty Hunters) you will be responsible for reimbursing us for their fees. If they are unable to find the defendant and bring him or her back to court, you would be responsible for paying the full $10,000.

If you are signing for someone that is not a relative or close friend, make sure that you feel confident you know them well enough to accept this amount of financial responsibility for them. Do not sign for a bail bond for someone if you think there is a chance they are going to skip bail or if you are feeling uncomfortable about signing for the bail bond. Take your time, think about it. Talk to friends and family, get their opinion. Make sure you feel comfortable with your decision.

If I can put up the full amount in cash with the jail or court do I need a bail bond?

No. If you post the cash directly with the jail or court, you will not have to pay the premium. The only drawback is that a large amount of your cash will be tied up for an unknown amount of time. On the average, cases last about 4-6 months if someone pleads not guilty. Policies and procedures are different for each facility. If you choose this option, please contact the facility directly. We do not have specific information about their requirements for cash bail.

I have the cash in the bank, but it’s the weekend and I can’t get to it until Monday. Can you put up the bail bond until Monday when I can put the cash up and then give me my money back?

We can post the bond for you, but we can’t return the premium. Once someone is released on our bond, it has been activated and must be paid for. The amount of time, no matter how short, is of no consequence.

Does the jail accept credit cards for bail?

No. Jails and courts do not accept credit cards for the purposes of bail. Most likely, the credit card processing fees preclude this from being an option.

We do accept credit cards for bail bonds.

How long will it take to release my friend or loved one from jail?

In general, our paperwork takes about 20 minutes. Release time from local jails is usually less than an hour once the person has been booked. An exception to this is when the person was arrested for DUI or drunk driving. In that case, the jail must hold the person for a set number of hours depending on how much alcohol was in their system at the time of arrest. Typically it will be 6 hours before the jail will allow the bail bond to be posted and the person to be released.

The release time at county jails takes longer. If the person is returning to the county jail from court that day, their file must be updated before the jail will allow a bond to be posted. For example at the Orange County Jail, files can be updated as early at 8:00 p.m. or as late at 1:00 a.m. following an in-custody court appearance. Los Angeles County usually takes 1-3 days to update their files and then another 8-12 hours or more to release someone.

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