2 ms·

It's not a fee: you get it back just for showing up to court, whether you're guilty or innocent.

• SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
  No, they charge you a fee in addition: "Bond agents generally charge a fee of ten percent for a state charge and fifteen percent for a federal bail bond, with a minimum of one hundred dollars in such states as Florida, required in order to post a bond for the full amount of the bond. This fee is not refundable and represents the bond agent's compensation for services rendered." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bail_bondsman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bail_bondsman
  • zeveb 8y ago
    The bondsman charges you a fee to lend you the money to pay the bail; if you pay the bail yourself you get it back regardless. You're not forced to use a bondsman, only if you cannot put together bail yourself. There's a decent argument that bails which require a bondsman violate the constitutional prohibition on excessive bails, but I don't know if that's been adjudicated. Regardless, the judicial system is not charging you a fee.
    • SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
      The judicial system isn't charging you a fee, but it is setting a price where the only way for you to get out of jail is to be charged a fee. It's a fee for the poor, regardless if they are innocent of the crime or not. While it's not technically the judicial system, they are absolutely enabling it.