What Happens If You Skip Bail?
Posted on: 29 May 2020
The criminal law process is lengthy and complicated, yet you must follow the required steps if you face criminal charges. The first step of the criminal process is an arrest. Getting arrested starts the case and holds you accountable to show up to court. Skipping bail means that you do not appear for your court hearings, and you can face many consequences if this happens. Here are several things to understand about skipping bail.
How Bail Works
Bail allows you to pay cash to get released from jail. You can pay the cash yourself or with help from a bail bond agent. In either case, you get released from jail before your court hearings. Your release does not eliminate the obligations you have to the court system for your charges, though. Instead, bail lets you handle your criminal case outside of jail.
The Obligations You Have
When you get out of jail before your criminal case is over, you must agree to follow the rules. The court and the bail agent set rules for you, and you must not break these. While there may be other guidelines, here are some of the basic ones:
- You must show up to every court hearing for the matter.
- You must avoid breaking the law and incurring new criminal charges.
- You must check-in with your lawyer and bail agent as scheduled.
- You cannot use alcohol or drugs.
- You cannot leave the state.
You can avoid further problems in your case by following these guidelines and any others that you have.
The Consequences of Skipping Bail
If you decide to violate your bail, you will encounter problems. Skipping bail is a term that courts use when defendants violate their bail or disappear. The most severe consequence you face is returning to jail. The court will issue a warrant for your arrest if you skip bail, and you will go to jail. You may also end up owing money to your bail bond agent or the court, and you might even face additional criminal charges. Skipping bail is not worth it, so make sure you consider these things before choosing to violate your bail.
If you get arrested and want to get out of jail, you can hire a bail bond agent. No matter how you get out of jail, you must follow through with the criminal law process by showing up to court. To learn more about this, talk to a bail bond agent today.
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