1) Cash Bonds
For a Cash Bond you must deposit the full amount of the bond. The only forms of payment Travis County Jail accepts are cashier's checks and money orders. This money will be kept by the court until the case is resolved, which could be a long time. For this reason, and the fact that most bond amounts are in the thousands of dollars, cash bonds aren't usually the best route to take when getting out of jail.
2) Personal Bonds
After an arrest, the Travis County PreTrial Services Office interviews the defendant. If they determine the defendant qualifies for a personal bond, the person must only pay $20 to get out of jail. This is a very cheap way to get out of jail, but unfortunately the standards for qualification are very strict and many people do not qualify to get out of jail for $20. The Pretrial Services Office can take over 10 hours to approve someone for a personal bond, which is a long time for a person to sit in jail when they could be released much sooner.
3) Lawyer Assisted bonds
This is a hybrid of a cash bond and a personal bond. It is used by attorneys to secure a client's release while being able to use funds on deposit for legal fees.
4) Surety (Bail) Bonds
Bail Bond companies usually charge between 10% - 20% of the bond amount to get someone out of jail. The downside to this option is that the money paid to the bondsman cannot later be counted towards attorney's fees, whereas if you hire us to bond you out and you decide to retain us, we will count a portion of the bond money towards the fee for representation.
More about Bonds Bonds play an important role in protecting individuals, organizations, and the government against loss through the failure of others to fulfill specific obligations. Generally, bonds are required of those who administer public or private funds, and of individuals and businesses to qualify for licenses and permits.