A bond is an amount of money that you pay to be released from jail while your criminal charges are pending. The purpose of the bond is secure your personal presence at future court hearings.
There are different types of bonds that you may post to get out of jail. A cash bond constitutes the full amount of the bond that you need to pay in order to be released from jail. A surety bond is posted by a bail bondsman. This is an option that you might choose if your cash bond is extremely high and you don’t have the money to meet it. The bail bondsman will require you, your friends, or family members to provide a small percentage of the cash bond. In return, the bail bondsman will post the remainder of the bond on your behalf, and you will be released from jail.
Bond Forfeiture
Depending on the amount of the bond and your financial needs, you can post the requisite bond themselves, a friend or relative can post the bond for you, or you can seek the services of a bail bondsman. In most cases, only a certain percentage or amount of the bond must be posted for you to be released.
Bond forfeiture occurs when you fail to appear at their court dates when ordered to do so. In that case, the judge issues a warrant for your arrest and schedules a bond forfeiture hearing. At that hearing, the judge determines whether you had a justifiable reason for missing the hearing. The outcome of this hearing depends on whether the bond is forfeited, which means that the bond becomes the property of the state and you or whomever paid the bond doesn’t get it back.
The criminal defense lawyers of Peek Law Group have handled the legal defense of countless individuals who are facing any type of criminal charges, whether at the state or federal level. We are here to protect your rights and advocate on your behalf in order to get the best outcome possible in your case. Call our office today at (512) 399-2311 to set up an appointment with our Texas criminal defense attorneys today.