San Mateo County Bail Bonds

The county of San Mateo allows many defendants to be released from jail on bail if they are awaiting a trial. The bail amount is determined by the crime(s) that the defendant is accused of perpetrating. In some cases, however, the courts will deny bail, especially if the crime is particularly heinous or if the defendant may pose a risk to citizens.

The bail amount is different for for all counties across California and is determined by a rate schedule that is developed by a panel of judges on an annual basis. The same crime for every county will receive the basic same bail amount.

When a defendant is given the opportunity to get out of jail on bail, many defendants require financial assistance to pay the bail. If the defendant refuses to pay the bail, then he or she will await the trial in the jail.

When a defendant uses the financial assistance of a bail bonding agency, the agency will provide the full bail amount in exchange for a down payment. The down payment is usually about ten percent of the total amount of the bail. In addition to the down payment, most bail bonding agencies will collect collateral that they will hold onto until the defendant fulfills a full legal obligation.

When a defendant fails to complete a criminal trial, not only will the defendant lose his or her down payment, but he or she will be charged additional fees, including collateral, by the bail bond company. Upon completion of the case the bail bond company will recieve an exoneration. This relieves the cosigner and defendant of their obligations to the bail bond company.

In order to return to defendant to jail or to the court, many bail bonding agencies will use the services of a bounty hunter. The bounty hunter has legal authorization to hunt down a defendant and rearrest him or her. Once a defendant has failed to appear once, the defendant will generally not be allowed to be released from jail on bail a second time.