No matter where you live in the USA whether it is New York or Dallas how bail bonds work is more or less the same way. A bail bond is a bit like a security note. It is designed to guarantee that a person will appear in court to face the charges against them. When someone is arrested, that person is taken to jail where they stay until their case comes to court. However, if a suspect is granted bail they can be released from jail if they pay bail. If the person appears in court on the given date, they get their money back minus costs.
Should the person not appear in court they will have skipped bail. In this situation, the authorities will keep the bail that has already been paid and pursue the suspect for the rest of the cash. When they are found that person will be trialed for their crimes. The idea is that the accused will appear rather than run the risk of losing so much money.
What to do if you cannot afford to pay your own bail
Some people can afford to pay their own bail. Those who cannot afford to do so can use the services of a bondsman. The bondsman will put up the bail on behalf of the suspect and charge them a fee for doing so. Usually the bondsman takes out securities against the defendant’s assets to ensure that if the accused skips bail they are not left out of pocket.