In the world of bail bonds, there are a lot of terms that you might not understand, especially if you have never used the services of a bail bond agency before. One term that you should understand, though, is something called a forfeited bond. If you are using a bail bond agent to get yourself or a friend or relative out of jail, you will need to fully understand what a forfeited bond is, as this is something you should aim to avoid.
The definition of a forfeited bond
When a bail bond agency pays your bail to get you out of jail, you owe it to the agency to follow the orders of the jail, court, and bail bond agent. While there may be a lot of rules, orders, conditions, and guidelines to follow, the most important one is probably the one that states you must go to court for your hearings. If you end up with a forfeited bond, it means that you did not follow through with this. In other words, it means you skipped court, and this is often referred to as skipping bail. This is not a good thing to do, as it will lead to more problems for you.
The impact of forfeiting your bond
When you take a bail bond, you are basically taking a loan to get out of jail. Skipping your hearing will lead to a forfeited bond, and the first thing that happens after this is that your bail bond agent will look for you. The court will generally give a person one week to appear in court after missing a hearing, and during this one week, your agent will probably be calling you or stopping at your house to find you. If you can get to court within the week, the court may forgive you and continue with the case without punishing you further for missing court. If you do not show up within a week, you will be in more trouble.
What you should do if you skip a court hearing
If you happen to be in a situation where you missed a court hearing and are now facing a forfeited bond, the best thing to do is call the bail bond agent and the court. It is always better to face the problem sooner rather than later, as this could help you fix the situation and avoid further problems with it.
To learn more about the bail bond process or forfeited bond, contact a local bail bond agency that offers 24-hour bail bonds.