Do I Need A Co-signer For A Bail Bond?

Almost every bail bond requires a cosigner... ALMOST...

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When a judge sets a defendant's bail, they are setting a dollar amount that the court requires to be 'put up' in order for them to be released. This money is forfeited when a defendant fails to appear in court or in the case of a bail bond revocation.

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A bail bondsman will put up the money for you and charge a fee for doing so. That means there is risk involved.  When or if the defendant fails to appear in court, the judge orders the bond forfeited and demand the total bail to be paid in full.

 

That is the purpose of a cosigner. As a cosigner, you would assume the financial risk. On rare occasions when the defendant has cash or assets to use as collateral or is financially sound beyond the median a bondsman will write the bond with the risk being born by the defendant, but again that is rare.

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Here is a pro-tip. When a defendant does not have a family member or loved one who will vouch for them, that is typically a red flag to the bondsman and is implicative of a bond that is too risky to write. Often times when someone is risky, their family knows it.

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If you are able to find a bondsman to write such a bond without a cosigner or collateral, be prepared for the bond to be revoked at the first court date and the defendant to be placed back into custody. There are unethical bondsmen out there who seem too good to be true in your time of desperation, but beware, as bondsman's business cannot survive while taking unnecessary risks.