There are three types of bonds: Cash Bonds,  Surety Bonds, and Personal Recognizance Bonds (PR bond)

Cash Bonds:

• Cash bonds are bonds where  you choose to pay the full bond amount assessed by the Judge to guarantee you will come back to court.
• The County or District Clerk holds your bond money until your case is resolved.
• Once your case is resolved, the bond will be returned to you. Nominal fees are attached to a cash bond.
• If you fail to come to court and your bond is revoked, the County will keep the full amount.
• You and your attorney will be responsible for monitoring the case and will not receive any notices or reminders of court dates.

Surety Bonds:

• A surety bond is when you choose to use a bond company to assist you in posting the bond. A bond company typically requires a percentage of the bond to be paid to them and they will post the full bond amount with the County.
• People normally choose to use a surety bond when they are unable to come up with the full amount of the bond.
• All bonding companies are different in their fees and monitoring.
• Typically a bonding company will require 10% fee of the total bond as payment.
• Some requirements of bonding companies often require co-signers to a bond, monthly check-ins with the company and weekly call in’s with the company.
• Bonding companies may ask the court to remove themselves from your bond for issues such as non-payment, lack of contact or if you are arrested again.

Personal Recognizance Bonds (P.R. bond):

• PR bonds are given to those who do not have money for bond/bail.
• These types of bonds are given by the Court in a case by case basis.
• PR bonds are typically reserved for non-violent offense and for people with limited criminal history.
• The judge at the jail will evaluate your case to see if you would qualify for a P.R. bond.
• Your attorney can approach your assigned Judge to ask for you to be considered for a P.R. bond, if you are not granted one at the jail.

Other Programs:

• Pre-Trial Release contracts are agreements between you and the Court that if you are released from jail, you will abide by certain court rules.
• Pre-Trial release contracts are issued for certain types of offenses. If you request this type of release, you will be interviewed by a county pre-trial officer to determine if you are a good candidate for this program and to determine what, if any, conditions would be necessary.
• In exchange for your promise to attend Court, the Judge can require you to complete certain conditions such as routine drug tests, going to counseling, GPS monitoring, more frequent Court check ins, and monthly fees.
• These types of contracts are not typically given by the Magistrate. Your attorney would have to ask your Judge directly for consideration.