What's the deal with paying bail?

[napi21]

I'm listening to Len Tillison on KGO radio, (attorney call in show in LA) and he just said sonething about a father who paid $10,000 bail for his son. The thing that caught my ear is that he said why waste $10,000? I always thought if youpaidbail ad the accused showed up for court, you got the bail money back. Am I wrong????

[CBGLuthier]

1. You are correct

Now, if you need the services of a bondsman to raise that money there are fees attached.

But if u cover it yourself, you get it back.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. I've never heard anything different than that the bail payer

gets the money back if one shows up in court.

[Midlodemocrat]

3. The deal is that you hire a bail bondsman to pay a percentage

of your bail. That money isn't recovered, because the bail bondsman is taking the risk that you won't show.

If you post the entire thing, without a bail bondsman, you get it back when you appear. People put their houses up sometimes for kids, etc.

At least I think that's the deal. I may have the terminology backwards, but I think if you post bond, it's a percentage and if you post bail, it's the whole enchilada.

[napi21]

6. thanks. I didn't realize that the bondsman got to keep all that money!

The guy Len was talking about had to pay $10,000 to a bondsman. It's sad that he won'tget any of that back.

This was a case about a Marine who just got backfrom Iraq. I sure can see myselfremortgaging my house in that case.

So sad.

[Midlodemocrat]

13. One of my neighbors is a bail bondsman. Nice enough guy

and he doesn't seem to be raking in the dough like Dog the Bounty Hunter, although I realize that he is a 'personality' as well.

It seems he just makes a living, kind of like the rest of us.

[-..__...]

16. Well, ain't this a kick in the pants then...

TV bounty hunter set free on bail

HONOLULU – TV reality star Duane "Dog" Chapman and two co-stars accused of illegal detention and conspiracy in the bounty hunters' capture of a cosmetics company heir in Mexico posted bail and were released Friday.

Chapman was released on $300,000 bail after spending the night in a federal detention center and his co-stars on the popular A&E show "Dog The Bounty Hunter" were freed on $100,000 bail each.

Chapman, his son, Leland Chapman, and associate Timothy Chapman, no relation, were arrested Thursday on charges stemming from the capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster on June 18, 2003, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, officials said.

Chapman's capture of Luster, who had fled the country during his trial on charges he raped three women, catapulted the 53-year-old bounty hunter to fame and led to the reality series on A&E. Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term.

Bounty hunting is considered a crime in Mexico, and charges have been pending against the three since local police in Mexico arrested them shortly after they roped in Luster. They posted bail but never returned for their court hearing in July 2003, officials said.


Complete article.

[Wiley50]

4. Usually, how it works is

if you have property ( or cash) yourself to put up
if the subject shows up in court you get it back
If you need a bail bondsman cause you don't have above wherewithal
You pay the bondsman's fee usually ten percent
and the bondsman is liable for the rest if you don't show
then he sends Dog after you to get his money back from the court
if you do show up he keeps th 10% as his fee

In the case you are referring to the actual bail is probably $100,000

[Jazzgirl]

9. you're right...if they paid $10,000 they were covering

a $100,000 bail. The bond covers the bail. 10%.

JG

[bryant69]

5. That's why it's important to get some ohter person to pay bail for you

Preferably someone not too bright.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[napi21]

7. I understand. I guess I was just an idiot. I don't know how I thought

the bondsman made his money, but I sure didn't realize he got the whole 10%! Hmmmm, maybe I should look into this!

[Jazzgirl]

10. Bryant, someone posted a link to a site

called foundmoney.com where you can put your name in and see if there is any money out there for you for stuff like overpaid fees etc. On a fluke I put my name in and it showed up! It said I was owed over $100. So I checked it out and lo and behold, there was $2000 I paid for a $20,000 bond 20 years ago! I had written that off and didn't think anything else about it. I'm getting it back. :7

[hyphenate]

8. If you post bond

You are actually only putting up 10% of the whole amount. So bail of $10,000 would be $1000 cash bond.

[TahitiNut]

11. You BUY a bond ... like insurance.

Bail is forfeited for non-appearance. A bail-bondsman sells bonds, agreeing to post the bail and put that bail at risk for a fee. The cost of the bond is not recoverable, no more than an insurance premium is recoverable in the event of no insured losses.

[Warpy]

12. Depends

Most people use bail bondsmen. They used to pay 10% of the bail amount and the bondsman would lend them the balance. That would get their friend/relative out of jug before the trial, but it would cost them whatever they'd paid the bondsman. The only other alternative is borrowing against the equity in one's home, if there's enough of it to do that.

If the bonded person skipped out, then the family would owe the full amoount of the bail. Sometimes they can't pay and the bondsman gets stuck. They're not nice guys and they object to losing lots of money, so they send people out to find the skips and bring them back any way they can.

Few people with criminals in the family, with the notable exception of the super rich white collar variety, can afford to pay an entire bail amount. That $10,000 was probably a fee to a bondsman.

[bobbieinok]

14. bit off topic---who's read JEvanovich's Stephanie Plum mysteries??

SPlum works for a bail bondsman in New Jersey.

[China_cat]

15. Only if you are paying the whole bail.

If you use a bail bondsman, you pay 10% and he puts up the whole rest. When the person bailed out shows up for court, the bondsman gets his money back but he keeps the 10% you paid as the fee for his risking his money.