If you have been arrested and held in jail, understanding how the bail process works and what you are going to need to do to get out is essential. The judge will set the bail amount and conditions based on the charges against you. If you can't afford to pay the bail, you will need to consider working with a bail bondsman or bail bond posting company.

Attending the Bail Hearing 

When you are held over for a bail hearing, you will stay in jail until it is time to see the judge, The judge will consider the charges and may want to hear from you, the arresting officer, or the lawyers for the case. After assessing the severity of the charges and your likelihood to come to court for the trial, the judge will issue a ruling. It could be a high cash bond that you can't pay yourself, but you may be able to get a bondsman to bail you out. 

Working With a Bondsman

Once your bail amount is set, you can contact a local bail bondsman and have them meet you at the jail. They will discuss the charges and the bail with you, talk about your current financial and housing situation, and try to determine if you are a good risk for them to take or not. In most cases, you will need to convince that that you are going to appear in court and stay out of trouble for them to post your bond. 

Securing Your Bond

If the bondsman asks for something to secure the bond, you will need to present either a specified amount of money or something of value in case you fail to appear and the bondsman loses his money. It could be a house, a vehicle, or anything of enough value that you own outright. If you do not show up for court, the judge will issue a warrant for your arrest, and the bondsman will start looking for you. If you are not found, and the bond is forfeited, the bondsman will take your collateral as payment. 

Jumping Bail

If you do not show up in court, they bail bondsman is going to start looking for you aggressively. He will use any tactic he needs to find you and return you to jail. The bail will be forfeited, and you will sit in custody until your next day in court. You might get a new bond company to bail you out, but it is unlikely, and if the court revokes your bail, it won't be possible anyway.