If you’ve ever gotten out of jail on bail before, the next step is to attend a court hearing at which the judge will give you a sentence for your crime. For people facing serious charges, there is always even a very slight temptation to attempt to flee and skip out on the hearing, which is referred to as “jumping bail.” However, doing this makes your situation significantly worse than it already is.
Therefore, if you’ve been considering skipping your court date, here are just a few reasons from a bail bondsman in Angleton, TX why you might want to rethink that.
It’s a criminal offense
Jumping bail is a criminal offense, which will only be added to the criminal charges you already face for the crime you were arrested for in the first place. By jumping bail, you completely eliminate any chance of ever being granted bail again, will face more significant penalties (including longer jail time and larger fines) for your current and future offenses, and simply will have lost any trust the court had in you.
The irony is that there’s a chance the judge might have been lenient on your sentence if you had bothered to show up for your court date. Skipping bail does you absolutely no good—you will be found, and as a result, you will face much more severe sentences for your actions.
The only way you can be excused from a hearing is if you have a really good reason, and you must have proof of that reason. If you knew about it beforehand, you must take appropriate action to notify the bail bonds person and the judge of the conflict and see if you can work out a rescheduled court date.
You’ll harm your co-signer
To have bail posted, you must have someone co-sign for you and provide some form of collateral that acts as insurance to confirm you will attend your court hearing. If you don’t appear, the bail bondsman collects that collateral. This means your friend or loved one who acted as your co-signer will lose a significant amount of money or property, all because you skipped out on your court-ordered hearing. The co-signer will then also be in charge of paying for all efforts taken to find you and bring you back to court.
You’ll be found sooner or later
If your bail bondsman can’t reach you after you decide to jump bail, a bounty hunter will be hired to bring you back. This means that you’ll spend the rest of your life under pursuit by bounty hunters or law enforcement. All during this process, your co-signer will be forced to pay for the efforts taken to bring you in.
Going to court can help you reduce your sentence and prevents your co-signer’s life from being seriously disrupted. Don’t be foolish enough to think you can get away from the law—you can’t. For more information about how bail works, contact Brazoria County Bail Bonds to speak with a trusted bail bondsman in Angleton, TX today.