When you are arrested, the court often will set a bond or bail amount, along with other conditions of your release. In order to get released from jail, you will have to pay the full amount of the bond, or if you cannot afford to do, you may have to enlist the assistance of a bail bondsman.
Whatever the case may be, you (or the bail bondsman) can have the bond forfeited by the court if you fail to meet the pre-trial bond conditions set by the court. These conditions often include requirements that you show up for future court dates as required, abiding by a curfew, refraining from using drugs or alcohol, and not traveling outside the state or country unless specifically permitted to do so.
What is Bond Forfeiture?
In many cases, bond forfeiture arises when individuals fail to show up to court dates as scheduled. In this situation, not only is the judge likely to issue a warrant for your arrest, but you also are likely to forfeit any bond paid. The bond automatically becomes the property of the jurisdiction in which you are facing charges.
Plus, when you use a bail bondsman to get a surety bond posted by the court, you paid a non-refundable fee that typically is a flat percentage of the bond amount. However, if the bond is forfeited, the bail bondsman is required to pay the full amount of your bond to the court. You thus will become liable to the bail bondsman for the entire amount of the bond. This means that if you put up property or vehicles as collateral for the surety bond, then the bondsman may choose to liquidate those assets and collect their proceeds in order to get reimbursed for the bond amount that you now owe in its entirety.
If you or a family member is facing any type of criminal charges, we may be able to help. As experienced Texas criminal defense attorneys, we have the knowledge needed to help you navigate through often-complex criminal proceedings. Call us today at (512) 359-3362 and schedule an appointment with one of our criminal defense lawyers and learn how we can assist you.