People really do not understand how a bail bond works. They often assume that they just give the bail bondsman a little money in exchange for the bail bondsman's help and a piece of paper (i.e., the bail bond) to spring their family members from jail. It is actually a lot more complicated than that. When you visit a bail bondsman for the first time, here is what is really happening so that you understand how this process typically works and what risks the bail bond agent is actually taking.

You Give the Bond Agent Ten Percent, He/She Gives the Jail One Hundred Percent

No joke. You cannot afford the full bail amount, so you turn to the bail bond agent for help. That is pretty typical. However, you are giving a bond agent somewhere between ten and thirty percent of the full bail amount in order to get the bail bond. The bail bond agent takes that amount and adds to it the rest of the bail due.

The courts will only release jailed persons on full bond, not on the partial amount you give the bond agent. Ergo, the bond agent is agreeing to take a financial risk to help spring your relative. In many cases, that is a very high financial risk for a small return. He/she gets to keep most of the money you give him/her, and the courts give some of the bail bond agent's money back to him/her when your relative gets to all of the court hearings. 

The Signature Bond Goes to the Jail, Never to You

The signature bond you paid the agent for is something you never really see. The bond does not go to you, but to the jail. It is a promise between the bond agent and the jail the insures, or promises, that the person being released will make his/her scheduled appearances in front of the judge.

​Lost Money Is Lost Money, with Two Exceptions

When and if a person released on bond does not make the scheduled appearances, the bail bond agent loses most of his/her money and the money you posted for bail to the court for fees. The only way to turn that around is to find the bail jumper and bring him/her to justice. You will never get the money you posted for bail because that money is payment to the bail bond agent for services rendered and financial risks taken. The only exception is if the relative is found not guilty and is acquitted of all charges. Then the bail bond agent may get a portion of his/her money back, but that does not go to you because it goes to the bond holder/agent.