Can Texas Residents Receive Assistance From Bail Funds?

 Posted on May 16, 2022 in Bail Bonds

People who have been arrested will often struggle to determine how they can get released. When a judge sets a high amount of bail, a person and their family may be unsure about how they will be able to pay this amount. While a bail bondsman can provide assistance and pay bail on behalf of a person, the cost of a bail bond is usually 10 percent of the total amount of bail. For high amounts of bail or for those who do not have significant financial resources, even coming up with 10 percent may be difficult. In some cases, people may turn to charitable organizations for help, but due to recent law changes in Texas, they may be unsure about whether this will be an option.

Texas Law and Charitable Bail Organizations

The Texas legislature passed a bail reform bill in 2021 that affected many people who are arrested and who are seeking a release from police custody. Originally, the bill that was proposed by the Texas Senate sought to limit the cases where bail funds or other “charitable bail organizations” could post bail on people’s behalf. However, the final version of the bill removed these restrictions, and people can generally receive assistance from these organizations when needed.

The law detailed the requirements that organizations will need to meet to be able to accept public donations and use the money raised to post bail on behalf of defendants. These include:

• A charitable bail organization must be a non-profit organization that is exempt from paying federal income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

• An organization must receive a certificate authorizing it to pay bail bonds by the county clerk in each county where it intends to assist people with bail.

• On a monthly basis, an organization must submit a report to the county sheriff identifying and providing information about each defendant it has assisted with bail.

• A charitable bail organization cannot accept compensation in return for paying bail on behalf of a defendant.

Notably, these requirements do not apply to religious non-profit corporations or to organizations that pay bail for no more than three defendants in a six-month period. They also do not apply to people who accept donations in order to help a family member pay bail, such as a person who organizes a crowdfunding campaign on behalf of a loved one through a website like GoFundMe.

Contact Our Collin County Bail Bond Agents

At Doc’s Bail Bonds, our goal is to help anyone who has been arrested get out of jail quickly. We work to provide our clients with affordable and flexible payment options, and we are also happy to work with bail funds or other organizations to post bail bonds on behalf of defendants. To learn more about how we can help a person get out of prison, contact our Denton County bail agents at 214-747-4110. We are available to help you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Sources:

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.17.htm

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/27/texas-bail-legislature/