1. Cash Bail
If the arrestee pays the cash bond, the county jail will release the person.
However, if the defendant does not have the money, someone else can pay the bail on behalf of the defendant. The cash bond amount is determined by the state or local bail schedule, or by a court after a bail hearing.
2. Surety Bond From Bail Bondsman
A bail bond is a form of bail payment provided on a defendant’s behalf by a bail bond agent. Bail bond agents, also known as bondsmen, are people who are in the business of paying a bond on behalf of criminal defendants. When defendants use a bail bond agent, they pay the agent a fee and the agent acts as a surety, telling the court that they (the bond agents) will pay the full bond amount should the defendant fail to appear at court.
3. Collateral
Bail bond agents typically require the defendant or the paying party to provide collateral or some other form of security against the bond. In other words, the bond agent might require the defendant, or someone else, to sign a security interest in a car, home, or other piece of property that the bond agent can repossess if the defendant fails to appear in court.
4. Own Recognizance
A court can sometimes release an in-custody defendant on his or her own recognizances, also known as a Personal Recognizance Bond (PR) bond. PR bonds are similar to a citation and release, only they take place after a court holds a bail hearing. If the court allows this type of bail, the defendant will be released from custody on the condition that he or she reappear in court at a later time and comply with any other bail conditions the court imposes.
