Bail Bonds Indemnitor Responsibility

An indemnitor (Co-signer) is someone who bails a person out of jail and signs a bail bond contract. If you do this and become an indemnitor, you are assuming a responsibility to the court and to the bail bond agent that the defendant will show up in court at the assigned date and time he/she is supposed to be there to answer the charges against him/her.

Indemnitor for a Bail Bond

As mentioned above, you take full responsibility of the defendant showing up in court at the appointed court dates and times to answer the charges brought against him/her. The defendant must show up to every court appearance, or you can be held liable for the full amount of the bail bond.

In most cases, a missed appearance in court is due to emergency or illness, can be resolve by going back to court as soon as possible with a reinstatement letter (provided by Bail Bonds Company) but is up to the judge to reinstated the bond or not.

However, if you feel that the person you plan on bailing out of jail will not show up for court and/or will leave the immediate area, you should NOT bail them out. While you won’t be held criminally liable for his/her absence, you CAN be held civilly liable.

This often means that you will be responsible for paying for such expenses as administrative and personnel time related to the case of the bail bondsman finding the defendant, such as paying for any long distance phone calls, travel expenses, the cost of any bounty hunters that are used, the entire bail bond amount for failing to show up in court, court costs, and attorney fees.

Therefore, before agreeing to become an indemnitor for someone, you should understand the entire bail bond process and your responsibility as an indemnitor.

What if Defendant Fails To Appear In Court?

If the defendant fails to appear due to a legitimate reason (sickness, family emergency, etc.), the bail bond company can normally make arrangements to allow the defendant to return to court. Although courts are usually very strict when it comes to people, forgetting, getting stuck in traffic, and other such circumstances you can still go back to court without major consequences if you go back to court as soon as possible with a reinstatement.

However, if the defendant doesn’t appear and can’t be located, the bail bonds company will need to find him/her and bring him/her into custody. The family and/or bail indemnitor usually helps the bail bond company find the defendant. On occasion, a fugitive recovery person may be needed to help find the defendant. This can result in additional charges.

If you have any specific questions about this possible scenario, call Bail Unit Bail Bonds Inc. for answers to your questions.

Contact Bail Unit Bail Bonds Inc. at 877.224.5177 to learn more about Indemnitor Responsibilities and to have us aid you in releasing someone from jail.