We are not attorneys and do not offer legal advice - contact an attorney if you need professional legal advice.
Bail Bonds in Orange County
When you are first arrested on an offense the court will generally set "bail" on you - basically just an amount of money that you need in order to get out of jail until your trial. This is the court's way of hedging their bets that you won't flee. The higher the likelihood that you will flee the higher bail is set. Bail is also higher for more serious crimes.
If the judge sets your bail at $50,000 then you have to come up with $50,000 in order to get out of jail. As soon as you show up for your trial is over the $50,000 will be returned.
What if you can't come up with your bail?
That's what bail bond agents are for - they will secure your bail for a 10% premium. So in the case of a $50,000 bail, they will promise to pay the court in exchange for $5,000 from you upfront (which they will keep regardless of the outcome). If you show up for trial they get their $50,000 back (or, more realistically, the promise to pay the court is removed) and they clear $5,000 in profit. If you never show up for trial they pay the full $50,000.
What if you skip town?
Prior to agreeing to underwrite your bail bond an agent will do an interview with you (in person or over the phone) deciding how confident they are that you will show up in court. If you do skip town on bail they will typically send somebody after you, commonly referred to as a "bounty hunter." Surprisingly few people attempt to flee town after bailing out of jail.
