Financing Your First Business

Missed Court? What To Know About Missed Court Dates And Bail

9 September 2019

Jimmie Holland

If you are arrested, there are a limited number of ways to be freed. You can sometimes be released on your own if you have no criminal record and the charges are considered minor. You can sometimes have your charges dropped or you can be bailed out. Most people have to be bailed out of jail to gain their freedom. Once you are free on bail, you must comply with all bail conditions and the most important condition is to appear for all court dates. If you miss a court date, you may set in motion a series of very unfortunate events. Read and find out more about dealing with this serious problem.

Legal Ramifications

A missed court date could prompt the judge to issue a bench warrant. Law enforcement is informed of the warrant and they are authorized to locate you and return you to jail. When you were bailed out, you might have been facing a few charges. Unfortunately, your troubles are about to be multiplied with new charges, such as failure to appear.

As a matter of course, those who fail to appear while out on bond will automatically have their bail revoked. This can mean that future attempts to get of out jail using bail will be more difficult, if not impossible. If bail is offered, you can predict that the amount charged will be far higher next time around.

Bail Bond Ramifications

Many of those arrested take advantage of bail bonding services and can be bailed out of jail at a reduced rate. Instead of paying $5,000 to the court system, you can pay a percentage of that amount to a bail bonding service and achieve the same goal – freedom. If the bail bonding service charges a 10% fee, for example, you would only need to pay $500 of the $5,000.

If you fail to show up for a court appearance, the bail bonding service has a responsibility to locate you and make you pay the full cost of the bail. In the above example, you would have to pay the full $5,000 on top of the $500 you've already paid.

Making Things Right

If you accidentally (or not) miss a court appearance, contact your bail bonding agent right away. The sooner you come forward, the easier the courts may be on you. If you have a good reason for missing the court date, the judge may agree to reinstate your bond, reschedule your court date, and release you from jail. How the judge handles it depends on the reason you missed court, your charges, and your criminal record. To find out more about bail and bail bonds, contact a place like All Star Bail Bonds near you.

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