<story><title>The Bail Trap</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/magazine/the-bail-trap.html?_r=0</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>developer1</author><text>I sympathize with your situation, but am confused by &amp;quot;I am out $3,000&amp;quot;. Do you not get bail money back when your presence in court is concluded? I always thought bail was a deposit, not a payment. You only lose your bail money if you don&amp;#x27;t show up when required, no?</text></item><item><author>bail-throw-away</author><text>OK - so I just had two experiences with a bay area law enforcement agency, and I am beside myself with disgust and anger:&lt;p&gt;I was accused of doing something I did not. I was taken to jail and they held me on bail - and set my court date for about three weeks from the time I was booked, but an arraignment in about 5 days.&lt;p&gt;I had just accepted a new job - but still had a week on my current.&lt;p&gt;I HAD to post bail (and I didn&amp;#x27;t really have the money for it) so I had to get a bail bond. so I could get out and go to work!! This cost my $3,000 out of pocket.&lt;p&gt;So I did, and then went to my arraignment: Guess what &amp;quot;no charges filed and case rejected for lack of any evidence at all&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;But now - I am out $3,000 and I have an arrest on my record for something that was simply a false accusation! Further, WHile I was in jail over night, the guards and police are absolute douchebags. They treat EVERYONE like crap.&lt;p&gt;I now hate all cops. ALL of them.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>bail-throw-away</author><text>If I were to post the actual full bail ~33,000 myself -- I &amp;quot;get it back&amp;quot; - but it is legal for them to keep the full bail amount 1 Year Plus 1 Day before they return it to me...&lt;p&gt;Using a bail bondsman I pay some fee (could be negotiated) but in my case was 10%&lt;p&gt;Since I paid the bail bondsman to post a 33,000 bond on my behalf - I pay him 3,300 up front. I do not get this back - regardless of the outcome of the case... however if I resolve it at the arraignment they refund ~10% at some ambiguous future date.&lt;p&gt;I should be able to bill the city for this given they had no charges and no evidence.</text></comment>
<story><title>The Bail Trap</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/magazine/the-bail-trap.html?_r=0</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>developer1</author><text>I sympathize with your situation, but am confused by &amp;quot;I am out $3,000&amp;quot;. Do you not get bail money back when your presence in court is concluded? I always thought bail was a deposit, not a payment. You only lose your bail money if you don&amp;#x27;t show up when required, no?</text></item><item><author>bail-throw-away</author><text>OK - so I just had two experiences with a bay area law enforcement agency, and I am beside myself with disgust and anger:&lt;p&gt;I was accused of doing something I did not. I was taken to jail and they held me on bail - and set my court date for about three weeks from the time I was booked, but an arraignment in about 5 days.&lt;p&gt;I had just accepted a new job - but still had a week on my current.&lt;p&gt;I HAD to post bail (and I didn&amp;#x27;t really have the money for it) so I had to get a bail bond. so I could get out and go to work!! This cost my $3,000 out of pocket.&lt;p&gt;So I did, and then went to my arraignment: Guess what &amp;quot;no charges filed and case rejected for lack of any evidence at all&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;But now - I am out $3,000 and I have an arrest on my record for something that was simply a false accusation! Further, WHile I was in jail over night, the guards and police are absolute douchebags. They treat EVERYONE like crap.&lt;p&gt;I now hate all cops. ALL of them.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>fnordfnordfnord</author><text>Laws vary by state but basically it amounts to: Bail was too expensive&amp;#x2F;risky so he paid a fee to a bondsman to get him out. A bond is a guarantee provided by a third party, the bondsman, that you will appear in court. It is usually some fraction of your actual bail, like 10%. So if we assume 10% and $3,000 paid to the bondsman, then his bail was probably $30,000. If that&amp;#x27;s correct then GP&amp;#x27;s alternative would have been to post $30k with the police until the conclusion of his&amp;#x2F;her case.</text></comment>