A person arrested for a criminal offense must appear before a judge who determines whether or not they will be released. In some cases, suspects are held in custody or may be released from jail after paying bail if they are considered dangerous, a flight risk, or fear that they may not comply with the court’s orders. However, if the suspect cannot make bail, they will need to await trial in jail. So a question that often surrounds bail is who benefits from it? The video, Who Makes Money From Bail, explains this point. It explains the basics of bail and bail bonds companies.
A bail bond company helps out people who have been arrested and can’t make bail.
Bail is often expensive, and most people can’t afford it. They offer to assume responsibility for the bail for a service fee. The additional payment could be up to 10-15% of the total bail. Bail bond companies also take up collateral of equivalent value to the actual bond. Many bail bond companies make their money off the service fee but may also make money from the collateral if the person fails to show up to court. Essentially it’s private bond companies that benefit the most from bonds.
