Is the Bail amount refundable, When a person is released on bail?

Bail is an agreement to attend court to answer a criminal charge. It can be granted at any stage of criminal proceedings. Often, when bail is granted, a number of conditions are applied to the bail undertaking. These can include surrendering a passport or agreeing to report to police on a regular basis. A well known condition is to deposit a sum of money with the Court and agreeing to forfeit that money if bail is breached. After the Court matter has been finalised, bail will be refunded.

There are following types of Bail payment methods related to Bail conditions:

Surety Bail

Enlisting a bail agent to write a surety bond for the defendant will be cheaper because you will pay a bail premium, which is just a percentage of the total bail amount. This is what is commonly known as a bail bond. The bail bond premium is non-refundable. The premium is a fee for the bail agent’s services to manage the defendant and make sure he or she shows up to all required court appearances.

Cash Bail

If you paid cash bail to the court, meaning you paid the full bail amount, you will have that money returned to you after the defendant makes all required court appearances. If the person does not show up in court, that money will be forfeited and you will not see it again. And if the defendant gets arrested again while out on bail, no refund will be given.

If a defendant is found not guilty, the bond is discharged; if the defendant pleads guilty, the bond is discharged at the time of sentencing.

Property Bond

If you secured a property bond, it means you offered the real value of your property to the court in exchange for the defendant’s release. Property bonds are similar to cash bail in that the court will legally seize the property if the person does not show up in court.

The Court will refund the bail amount when the trial is over.