The bail system is meant to incentivize people awaiting trial to make all court appearances and discourage them from fleeing prosecution. Once your bail is paid, you will be allowed out of jail. But after leaving jail behind and getting back home to await your trial in comfort, you may begin to wonder, will you ever get the money back?
Returning Bail After Trial
Bail will be returned to the depositor, or the person who made the deposit with the court, once the trial has been concluded. This is true whether the trial resulted in a conviction or not. Bail is not meant to be part of your punishment if you are convicted. It is just an incentive to make sure you attend your trial. Once the trial is over, if you have gone to every required court proceeding, then the court will have no more use for your bail money, and it will be returned. The return is usually done through the mail, and will typically happen within 30 days of the end of the trial.
When Your Bail Becomes Forfeit
Trials are not as open and shut as the TV shows make them out to be. They involve preliminary hearings and proceedings before the actual trial can even begin. While you will not be required to attend each and every one of the hearings, you will be required to appear in a fair number of them. You will also most likely be required to attend every day of your trial as well. This can add up to dozens of trips to the courthouse. When you do not pay bail, instead electing to wait within a jail until your trial is over, the jail will take responsibility for transportation. However, when you are out on bail, that responsibility falls to you. Failing this responsibility can have some serious consequences.
As we have already mentioned, the purpose of bail is to ensure that you attend all court proceedings you are required to. If you do not, that means the bail no longer serves its purpose, and will be considered forfeit. Essentially, the bail will be seized by the court and not returned, and a bench warrant for your arrest will be issued by the judge. Once you are arrested, you will be returned to the police department or the jail. Unless a good reason is given for the absence, then the crime of “failure to appear” will likely be added on to your charges.
While in jail, you may be granted another bail hearing. The judge will set a new bail amount, and you will be free to pay it again. However, it will likely be increased, as you now have a history of “evading prosecution.” On top of that, your old bail will not be returned, meaning you will have to pay even more money to the courts in order to secure your freedom.
The Benefits of an Agency
There are many benefits to working with a bail bond agency instead of paying bail on your own. One of the main ones, however, is bail reinstatement. If you are working with a particularly dedicated bail bond agent, such as the ones employed at Balboa Bail Bonds, then you can contact them once your bail becomes forfeit and ask for help. They will call the court, and push to have your bail reinstated. This means that it will no longer be considered forfeit, and it will be once again returned once the trial is over.
Not all bail bond agencies will provide this service, however. It requires having a close relationship with the court, as well as a great deal of experience in the field. That sort of dedication and compassion can only be found at Balboa Bail Bonds. Our agency is available 24/7, 365 days a year. We work hard to provide top-notch care to all of our clients, and we even offer a flexible payment plan when it comes time to pay us back. To find out more about how our agents can help you, call us at (619) 760-2222 today.