Frequently Asked Questions

Bail is an amount of money set by either the court, or according to a Bail Schedule, to allow someone to be released from jail while their case proceeds. Bail is also used to financially guarantee (or financially back) a defendant's appearance in court while their case is ongoing. If the defendant appears in court as required, bail is eventually exonerated and returned to the party that takes responsibility for their financial liability.

A bail bond is a surety bond posted by a bail bond company. Bail Bonds enable those who use their services to pay a bail bond premium (often 7–10% of the bail amount), instead of paying the full bail amount. When a bail bond company chooses to take on a client, they become the party that is financially responsible for their client's return to court. If their client does not return to court, they are responsible for getting them back into court. If they cannot get their client to return to court, then they are responsible for paying the full bail amount.

A bail bond premium is the amount paid to bail bond companies and insurance agencies to collateralize (use as collateral) the financial liability/responsibility they assume when they choose to take on a client. In other words, it is the money required for use of their services. In the State of California, according to the California Department of Insurance, bail bond premiums must be no lower than 7% and no higher than 10%, unless other fees are incurred by the client.

Collateral is something that can take many forms such as a title or "pink slip" of a car, a deed of trust on a house, a passport, or just cash. In the world of bail bonds/insurance/surety, collateral is used as a means to reduce the risk associated with taking on a client. If a bail agent is worried that a potential client might not make their court appearances, they might require that their client temporarily give them something of value, so that if they do run away, the bail agent doesn't lose all of their money.

Sometimes, but not always. Collateral depends on the bail amount, certain risk factors, and the defendant and/or cosigner's situation.

Release timing depends on the jail's processing speed, which is dependent on the amount of inmates they have to process at a given time. Local jails, such as Van Nuys, Lost Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, etc. can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours, and even up to several hours. On average, it takes about an hour for local jails. County jails can take anywhere from 6–12 hours for someone to be processed and released.

Both local and central jails are temporary housing/holding facilities used to hold/house people after they've been charged with a crime. You can think of local jails as an even more temporary holding facility than central jails. Local jails will hold defendants for a few days before transferring them to a central jail. Central jails will house defendants for the duration of their case if they are unable to be released from custody, and transport inmates to and from their court appearances.

The biggest difference between a local jail and a central/county jail is capacity. Central jails house thousands, while local jails hold anywhere from a couple inmates, to a couple hundred. On average, local jails can hold around fifty to a hundred inmates. With the more people at central and larger local jails, there are more inmates that need processing into and out of jail, which is why there are usually longer processing times at county jails compared to local jails.

Failing to appear in court immediately results in your bail being forfeited, your bond being surrendered, a bench warrant issued for your arrest, and being taken back into custody. It also will likely result in being reprimanded by the judge with other consequences such as failure to appear (FTA) charges, the suspending of your driver's license, revoking the possibility of probation, increased jail time, potentially higher bail, and/or being flat out denied bail. It also makes it much more difficult to find a new bail bond company (or any bail bond company) that would be willing to work with you. It is nearly impossible for people who fail to appear to be released again.