There are many reasons that you may want to find out if someone who’s been arrested has been released from jail under bail. In some cases, you’ll want to find out who bailed someone out of jail. To do that, you’ll need some specific information about the defendant, and the case has to have already gone to trial before its confidentiality marker is removed. After the case goes to public record, you will be able to view the bail bond receipt stating who posted bail for the defendant.
Another option is to ask the defendant. If they’re willing to talk, they may tell you who to send the thank you card to. Further, if the person who posted bail put up their property for collateral, the bail bonds agency will put a lien against it. Liens are public record and can be used to find out who posted bail on behalf of a defendant.
Types of Posted Bail
Several types of bail can be posted, this is dependent on the bail authority (like courts, or mediators), the severity of the crime, the financial likelihood of the defendant being able to fulfill financial obligations, and the flight risk associated with the defendant.
Release on Recognizance 
This is also sometimes called “Force Release.” This situation occurs when the inmate has proven their intent and ability to be released and held to their scheduled court dates. RoR’s are common when the jail experiences a high capacity or has limited facilities to house the inmates safely. The inmate must sign a legally binding contract committing to appear for all scheduled court dates, or be re-arrested for failure to appear.
Release on Non-monetary Conditions
Upon agreement and arrangements for release with non-monetary conditions, an inmate may secure their release by agreeing to specific terms of release. These could be as simple as wearing a GPS tracker, and as complex as supervised house arrest.
Release on Unsecured Bail Bond
The inmate agrees in writing to be liable for a specific financial payment in the case that they fail to appear in court at assigned times. This is similar to an unsecured credit card, in that there is no collateral or security deposited.
Release on Nominal Bail
This bail is very small. A seemingly insignificant amount that the courts decide is enough to secure your agreement to appear. This form of release is more symbolic than anything else – a formality.
Release on a Monetary Condition
This form of release is based on a significant financial payment to secure your agreement to appear in court as scheduled. This is the most common form of release. Realistically, jails don’t have the resources or the staff to adequately house inmates awaiting trial. Therefore, finding a way to ensure inmates don’t stay in their housing units for longer than needed is important to control overcrowding.
SAVIN and VINELink
There are situations where specific notifications must be made to victims of a crime when the defendant has bail posted. This will not tell you who posted but will allow you to know that the defendant has been released.
Through the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification system, victims will be made aware of the status of an inmate housed in the correctional system with regards to release, transfer, or escape.
VINELink is a partner program to the SAVIN program and allows non-victims to stay up to date on the status of an inmate.
Using a Bail Bondsman
A person can bail someone out using the services of a bail bondsman, putting a layer in between you and the public record. Contact us at Gibson Bail Bonds 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to discuss your options.
