If you are arrested for a criminal offense in Texas, you may be released on bail before your trial. Bail will require you to pay a certain amount to the court, which will be returned after the completion of your case. Because the amounts of bail can be high, and you may not be able to afford to pay thousands of dollars or more to be released, you may obtain a bail bond. In these cases, a bail bondsman will pay bail on your behalf, and you will usually only be required to pay 10 percent of the total amount of bail. When you are released on bail, certain conditions will be imposed on you by the court. It is important to understand what can happen if you violate the conditions of bail.
How Courts Address Violations of Bail Conditions
Courts set bail for two main reasons: to make sure defendants appear for court hearings or other legal proceedings and to protect the safety of the public. Requiring a person to put down a certain amount of money is meant to make sure they will not flee the area or refuse to participate in legal proceedings in order to avoid being convicted. Placing conditions on bail is meant to prevent a person from taking actions that could harm their alleged victims or others after they have been released.
The conditions of bail may be different in each individual case, and they may depend on the crimes you are accused of committing and other issues that may affect public safety. In some cases, you may be required to use electronic monitoring that will track your location, such as by wearing a GPS ankle bracelet, or you may be confined to your home or required to follow a curfew. You may also be required to take regular drug tests or use an ignition interlock device on your vehicle to make sure you do not drive while under the influence of alcohol.
...