Ask The Bondsman: What Happens If I Bailed Someone Out Who Is Arrested Again?

We answer questions at Yahoo! Answers regularly. Here’s one: What happens if I co-signed a bail bond for someone who goes back to jail?

Answer: Upon co-signing the bail bond, you became responsible for a couple of things:

• to pay the fee to the bail bondsman (generally 10% in California, but this varies by state)
• to guarantee that the defendant shows up for required court cases
• to help the bondsman get the defendant back into the court system if they do not show up as required (called failure-to-appear)

Assuming the defendant you signed for is in jail based on the same case, you have nothing to worry about. If the defendant is in jail in a different jurisdiction or even on a different case, you will want to contact the bondsman with the information. Your bondsman will contact the court to make certain that the court knows the whereabouts of the defendant. It sounds like you don’t have much to worry about.

Have a bail question? Ask The Bail Bondsman

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