When Cash Bail Backfires: Two Families, Two Failures, One Fix

Every week, families try to do the right thing—post cash bail, support their loved ones, and move forward. But just last week, I watched two cases unravel. Both families paid in full. Both got punished for it.

Case One: Raised and Stuck

A well-to-do father had a plan: post $8,000 cash bail to get his daughter out of custody and into a residential treatment program. It was the right amount for a Class C felony—enough to guarantee appearance and, as a bonus, recovery.

But after indictment, her bail was arbitrarily raised to $25,000. Now she’s stuck—trapped in custody—hoping that whoever is filling in for Administrative Judge Ronald Johnson has a sympathetic heart and either reduces the bail or authorizes her release.

It’s clear the family wasn’t willing—or able—to wager more than the original $8,000. And they shouldn’t have to. Instead of helping her move forward, the system has held her in custody for nearly three weeks, waiting for clarity.

This is where a bail bond gives you the edge.
When clients face a surprise bail increase, we simply redo the paperwork—but we only charge a fee for the portion of the increase. You’re not paying two full 10% premiums—just the difference.
We do the work again, but we don’t punish you for the system’s inconsistency.

Case Two: $20K Down… Then Denied
In another case, a mother of humble means scraped together $20,000 in cash to bail out her son. The poster was first-generation and non-English speaking. She rallied her entire family and co-workers to crowd-fund the bail money.

Then, upon indictment, her son was arrested again—this time in court—and told his new bail was $30,000.
No new charges. No new facts. Just a higher number.
Coming up with an extra $10,000 might sound manageable on paper, but when you earn less than that in a year, it’s out of reach.
And here’s the cruel part: it’s unclear how this poster is even going to get her $20,000 back.

Because the indictment bench warrant was served before his preliminary hearing, and the case hadn’t been formally resolved in District Court, her money was stuck in limbo.
She was at an impasse—trapped by a court-created dilemma. Without access to her own funds, she had no realistic shot at pulling off a Hail Mary and coming up with another $10,000.

The District Court still has her money, even though the Circuit Court bail has already been posted via bail bond.

Why Bail Bonds Beat Cash—Every Time
These two families played by the rules—and still got burned. The truth is: cash bail doesn’t come with the same protections.

No clear path to getting your money back.
Even when a case is dismissed or transferred, there’s no prompt—or even established—pathway to guarantee a refund. Funds often get held up in bureaucratic limbo, pending the drafting of court orders that typically require a petition by an attorney.
If you’re lucky, maybe you stand up in the courtroom gallery and Judge makes an exception and lets you speak. Remember, say "Your Honor," not Sir or Ma'am.

But at that stage of the case, there’s usually no public defender assigned—so the defendant’s family has no free legal outlet, no advocate, and no clear route to ask the court for their money back.

No discharge of liability.
When someone starts veering off track, a bail agent can surrender the defendant, get a signed discharge of sureties, and remove the financial liability. Cash? There’s no mechanism to pull out. You’re on the hook until the end—or if you’re lucky, you get an approved refund order after requesting it from the court.

Cash is vulnerable to deductions.
Even if you “win,” at sentencing, the state can deduct for crime victim funds, penalties, or court fees. Unlike bail bonds, cash bail doesn’t have decades of case law behind it to protect your money.

Bottom Line:

A bail bond isn’t just a tool to get out of jail—it’s a buffer against financial disaster.
That 10% premium buys options, protection, and leverage when things go sideways.
In both cases last week, families did the right thing. They believed in the system.
The system let them down.
That’s why—even now—the bail bond still matters.

— Nicholas Lindblad
A-1 Bail Bonds