Austin Bail Bondsman
If a defendant wants to enjoy his or her days waiting for the trial outside of a jail cell, they can do so by depositing an amount of money with the court – this is called posting bail. After the trial, the court will refund the money. If the defendant fails to show up to court on the trial date, they forfeit all of the bail money (and will get arrested again). When a defendant doesn’t have enough cash to cover bail, they will contact a bondsman.
The bondsman will take care of bail paperwork and guaranteeing bond payment to the court. In return for covering bail for a defendant, a bondsman earns a 10% premium from the defendant or his or her family (usually required up front), and often a lien on personal belongings or property in order to cover the risk if the defendant doesn’t show up to court. Basically – a bondsman makes it possible for people who can’t afford to post bail to still wait for their trial date outside of the jail cell. This allows defendant to go on living life as normal and supporting their family.