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What does it mean to jump bail? Jumping bail is when a defendant posts bail yet doesn’t appear on their set court dates. It’s considered an offense and you will face repercussions that will affect your trial while also leading to financial consequences. A bail-jumping warrant will be issued to ensure you’re found and brought back into custody where you’ll be re-charged. 

There’s a lot to know about jumping bail, so keep reading to discover what happens when you skip out on your court date. 

Jumping Bail Consequences

You will typically see the following consequences when skipping bail in California: 

  • The bail bond is revoked - Usually, you will get the bail money back after attending court appearances in California. If you jump bail and avoid these appearances, the court will revoke your bail and keep the money. Those of you who posted bail yourselves will have no way of getting the money back. If you use a bail bond agency to post bail, they will lose the bond and can get you to pay them back or seize your assets as collateral to recover as many losses as possible. 
  • A bail-jumping warrant is issued - The court needs you to be captured and returned to custody, so a new warrant is issued for local law enforcement agencies to go out and arrest you. Bail bond agencies can also employ bounty hunters to track you down and bring you in. 
  • Additional charges are added - Jumping bail is never a good idea for this consequence alone. The court will add more charges on top of what you were previously charged for. This can take something as small as a misdemeanor and turn it into a felony under the California Penal Code. Under these new charges, you may face a fine of up to $10,000 and 3 years in California state prison. 
  • A higher bail amount is set, or no bail is set at all - After you’ve returned to custody, the court could set an even higher bail amount than before to reflect these new charges. Even worse, they might decide to not allow bail this time given you skipped before. The purpose of bail is to ensure people attend their court dates, so if you avoided them before, all trust is gone. 
  • It will be harder to find a positive outcome during your trial - Jumping bail gives you a black mark on your record. It won’t work in your favor when you’re put on trial and can prevent you from getting a more positive outcome. For instance, if you’re charged with a felony crime, you’re more likely to end up with either the middle or higher sentence than the lower one in the sentencing triad

What Does Jumping Bail Mean in California?

As noted in the introduction, bail jumping is when you don’t attend pre-arranged court dates. This can mean you forget about them or purposely avoid going. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve tried to flee the state and go on the run - people can jump bail by staying in their homes. 

We should also explain that bail jumping is one of many bail violations. You can violate the terms of your bail bond agreement in numerous ways, such as by committing another crime or failing to attend a driving course after a reckless driving charge. Breaking other bail bond terms will not constitute bail jumping so the consequences aren’t necessarily the same. 

To reiterate once more, bail jumping is when you do not attend any schedule court dates

Understanding The Legitimate Reasons For Missing Court Dates

You can jump bail without explicitly intending to do so. If that’s the case, you might not face any consequences. It depends on whether you can prove it was unintentional and have a legitimate excuse to present to the court. They’ll listen to your arguments and may give you a pass, setting a new date for you to attend. 

Some legitimate reasons for missing court dates include: 

  • Unexpected emergencies - This may involve you or a family member being taken to hospital, an emergency at the home that demands your immediate attention, and so on. If something happens and you have no control over it, the court will likely rule in your favor and avoid revoking bail, etc. 
  • Vehicle problems - Perhaps you tried to make it to court but your car or taxi broke down. If that’s the case, you will almost always be given a pass. 
  • Death in the family - Of course, if someone close to you dies, you will not be expected to attend a court date. The judge will be understanding in this instance, though you will have to prove the death is real. It sounds harsh, but without proof anyone could claim this and keep jumping bail. 
  • You forget or were unaware of the court dates - This one is less likely to rule in your favor. Forgetting to attend court is never usually a good excuse as you should be reminded multiple times via letters or calls from your bail bond agent. However, if you can show evidence of the wrong date given to you or nobody telling you your court date was this day, you might be able to avoid any additional charges. 

You may also know of things that could prevent you from attending certain court dates - this could be like your partner giving birth or an operation you’re about to have. If that’s the case, you should always inform the court in advance so they can rearrange things rather than deal with you jumping bail. 

Conclusion - The Importance Of Not Jumping Bail

Defendants should never jump bail as it will only lead to negative consequence. What began as a minor offense can become more serious with bail jumping charges attached. It can also be scary for your family if bounty hunters are sent to your home, so you should avoid this at all costs. Attend your court hearings and make sure you give advance warnings if you’re unable to attend for whatever reason.