Not everybody that goes to jail deserves to be there. We can all change. Some people get wrongly accused of doing something, or maybe they are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can’t always judge a book by its cover. Everybody deserves a second chance, which is why we have bail bonds. The highest bail bond cost ever given in the United States was $300,000,000, but with a $3,000,000,000 bail.
Who Got the Biggest Bail Bond?
The most significant bail bond was given to Robert Durst, who is a real estate heir. In 2003 he was charged with the murder of his wife and issued a $1 billion bail, which he posted. Durst then skipped out on his bail and was later rearrested and given new criminal charges of tampering with evidence. As a result, the judge set his bail at $3 billion, which meant that his bail bond would be $300,000,000 at 10% of the total bail.
What is a Bail Bond?
A bail bond is a type of bond provided by a bail bond company through a bail agent or bail bondsman which secures the release of a defendant from jail. There are two different types of bail bonds:
- Civil Bail Bond: used for civil cases and guarantees the debt payment, plus the interests and costs, assessed against the defendant.
- Criminal Bail Bond: used for criminal cases and guarantees that the defendant will show up for trial when asked by the court and guarantees payment for any fines or penalties decided against the defendant.
How Does a Bail Bond Work?
The judge will set a bail amount. If the defendant cannot pay the full bail amount on their own, they can get extra help from a bail bondsman in the form of a bail bond. If you want to post a bail bond, a defendant usually must pay a bail bondsman 10% of the total bail amount.
The bail bondsman will then secure the remaining amount of the bail in the form of collateral. If the defendant doesn’t have enough collateral, then the bail bondsman will reach out to relatives and friends to help in covering the bail.
How Does the Judge Decide the Bail Amount?
Most times, judges set bail based on a structure. The small or petty crimes may result in a low bail amount, typically between $50-$2,000. However, judges can act on their own discretion. For instance, if a defendant has a past criminal record, the judge might set a high bond. Other times, judges may also refuse to post bail altogether.
Generally, judges go off of the following factors when determining an inmate’s bail:
- Defendants Risk Level. If they’re considered a risk at all to the community, the judge may set an excessively high bail amount or no bail at all.
- The severity of the Crime. The more serious the crime is, the more expensive the bail will be.
- Criminal History. If the defendant is a persistent offender or has a criminal history, the bail will be much higher than a first-time offense.
- Bail Schedule. A document that outlines general bail amounts for each crime, judges generally adhere to the bail schedule.
A bail bond can be costly, especially if you don’t follow the conditions and agreements when you sign with a bail bonds company. If you skip out on bail and run, your bail can triple, as we all saw in Robert Durst’s case at least. Your bail can be higher based on your charges and what history you have. Your bail will typically be reasonably low if you have a clean record.