When paying bail, you might be wondering where your bond money goes. This is a valid concern, as often, bail amounts can be very high. We would love to clarify this issue for you! Before we begin, however, let us briefly cover what bail is.
Essentially, bail assures the court that you will show up for your court dates and not put the legal system through the costly and time-consuming effort of tracking you down. With this assurance in place, you are able to get out of jail before your trial begins. On the other hand, if you do not pay your bail, and you are not given a PR bond by the court, you will end up waiting in jail for weeks, months, or in certain cases, years before your trial begins. So basically, you want to pay your bail!
For a more in-depth look at how bail bonds work, check out our article, How Do Bail Bonds Work in Tennessee?
Once your bail has been paid, whether you pay through a cash bond or use a bail bond company, the payment gets held by the court. Some people are under the impression that bail money is given to lawyers, but this is incorrect.
While you are waiting for your trial to begin, your money remains with the court as their guarantee. If you fail to show up for your court appointments, the court will keep your bail amount. Where your money ultimately ends up from here depends on where you live, as it can pass to your county or even the state itself.
Will You Get Your Money Back?
If you keep all your court appearances and meet all the conditions of your bail release, you will definitely get your money back, although the amount of time it takes for your money to get returned can vary.
Cash bonds – The return process usually takes two to six weeks.
Surety bonds – You will have to pay a percent fee to your bail bond agency that will not be returned to you. As for the full bail amount, since the bail bond agency pays it, the money is returned to them.
Property bonds – The return process typically takes the same amount of time as cash bonds.
Federal bonds – These types of bonds require that you file a petition, whether your bond was a cash or property bond. How long it takes to get your money or property back depends on what type of case you have and the trial’s outcome.
Will The Court Return Your Money Even If You’re Found Guilty?
Yes, the court will return your bail money even if you’re found guilty. However, once the trial has ended, the court has no incentive to keep the amount.
Do you have any questions? Feel free to call us at (901) 523-2245!
