Do You Get Bond Money Back If Found Guilty?
In Texas or anywhere in America, when a person is accused of a crime and gets arrested, bail secures that individual’s release from jail before trial. A bail bond provides assurance to the court that the defendant will appear during the court procedures.
There are bail agents like Amarillo Bail Bonds Service, who help bear the cost of the bond by reducing the immediate out-of-pocket cost by around 90% in exchange for a small fee that is a percentage of the total bail. If they fail to appear, the bail amount will be paid to the court.
Getting bail is the fastest means of getting out of jail, but freedom is not the only benefit that comes with getting out on bail.
One of the first questions people ask when paying bail is, “Do I get my bail money back?” Now that’s the tricky part. The only way to get a refund is if you post the bail amount in full directly to the court, and not use a bail agent, to get your money back even if you’re found guilty.
How does bail bond work?
Bail is a payment in exchange for freedom from detention pending trial. A bail bond is the more universal and cost-effective option when a defendant cannot afford to pay bail. The average bail in Amarillo depends on the severity of the crime committed.
Bail bonds are set anywhere between $1,000 – $5,000 for misdemeanors and less serious crimes. Felonies average an amount between $5,000 – $20,000. Suspected murder bail bonds start at a million dollars. Sometimes, the amount depends on the risk the defendant may pose.
If you want to know about the Advantages of Bail, you may read about it here.
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What is a bail agent?
Most people cannot afford the full cash amount of the bail bond. That’s where the bail agents come in. Bail agents act as a third party intermediary for those seeking release on bail. Amarillo Bail Bonds Service protects the public and protects the rights of individuals by providing financial and travel assistance to secure individuals’ appearance at their court date.
When a defendant uses a bail bond agent, they pay the agent a fee and the agent acts as a surety, the agents will pay the bond in full should the defendant fail to appear at court. Bail bond agents make money by collecting a fee from those who avail of their services. Typically, that fee is 10% to 15% of the amount of bail.
Bail agents also offer other services and assistance. One of the more well-known of these is their 24-hour helpline that helps bail defendants with anything from finding a lawyer or just being able to call someone to help them get out of jail.
I’m guilty. Do I still get my money back?
Guilty or not getting a refund on your bond payment depends on how you paid the bail bond, if you paid the full bail amount directly to the court or if you used a bail agent.
If you paid the bond in full directly to the court and you did not miss a single appearance at court, you should be able to get a full refund a few weeks after the decision has been made.
If you hired a bail agent, you cannot get a refund on the fee you paid. The rationale being you saved a lot of money by not paying the full amount.
Amarillo Bail Bonds Service
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