The legal aftermath of being arrested may seem like a never ending battle for those involved. However, eventually, it will end, at which point a person is either guilty or innocent, and the bail bond that helped get them prepared for their legal battles is exonerated.
What is Exoneration?
When the legal process of a person’s trial or set of scheduled hearings is ended, the courts deem a bail bond exonerated. This essentially means the bail bond is discharged and whether guilty or innocent, the defendant holds no more responsibility (to the courts) regarding the terms of the bail bond.
Is Bail Bond Money Returned?
One of the biggest misconceptions about bail bond exoneration is that when a judge exonerates a bond the bail bond money is returned to the person that took out the bond.
What actually happens is, the money the bail bond company put up to get a person out of jail is what’s returned to the bail bond agent. The 10 percent bail bond fee that a family paid to receive the bail bond is never returned.
However, this is always a much better situation than someone skipping bail and holding their family entirely responsible for paying back a non-refundable full amount of the bail.
Can Your Bail Be Denied Exoneration?
Getting your bail denied exoneration is always possible and means that the defendant isn’t only responsible for the current bail owed, but could have even more tacked on.
Instances where a bail bond is denied exoneration can include these common issues:
- The person skipped bail
- The person missed a court hearing
- The person went into hiding
- Additional charges were filed while the defendant was out on bail
Your Bail Could Be Exonerated Even if You Stay in Jail
In some circumstances where a person basically knows they are going to be convicted and going to jail, bail can be exonerated with a request to remain in jail until the trial.
This is treated like any other exoneration, only the defendant may have the opportunity to use the time served pre-trial to take some time off of their overall sentencing.
Bail money is returned to the bondsman, and they still keep the 10 percent fee the defendant’s loved ones paid for the bail bond.
Dismissal Also Signals the End of a Case
In cases where charges are dismissed or the parties involved come to a settlement, this also signals the legal end of a case. Unless there are still pending charges against a defendant, the bail bond is officially exonerated.
Start the Bail Bond Process Today, With Big Bubba’s Bail Bonds
If you or a loved one have been arrested in Arlington and need help getting the bail bond process started, Big Bubba’s Bail Bonds has your back.
We are an accredited Arlington bail bond company that is open 24/7 and ready to help you take on any bail of any amount. Contact us today to get the bail bond process started.
