faqs
Bail is the amount of money, set by a judge, that a defendant must pay to be released from jail before their trial begins. If the defendant shows up to all of their court dates, the amount paid for their bail is returned to whoever paid it, once the case is closed.
Jail is the place a person is taken when they are arrested to wait until their trial. People who are in jail have not yet been convicted of a crime and are therefore innocent until proven guilty.
Prison is the place a person is taken after their trial when they have been convicted of a crime.
A bail bondsman is a private lender used by people who cannot afford to post their own bail. Bail bond companies agree to be responsible for the defendant’s bail obligation in exchange for a nonrefundable fee.
No, we are very different. The Bail Fund is a non-profit organization that pays 100% of the bond amount for people who have no resources to come up with the money, and will stay in jail if not helped by an outside organization like ours.
The bail we post is typically refunded to us, after the person we bailed out has completed all court appearances and satisfied any other court-mandated requirements. This means that donations we receive to pay bail are able to be used many times over--and that's why we are a revolving bail fund.
When the KC Bail Fund pays someone's bail, no repayment is expected. We just ask that those we have helped attend all court dates and comply with all court-ordered requirements. Then, when their case is closed, the bail amount we paid is refunded to us--and we use the money to pay the bail for someone else.
Applications take about 3 days to review. If your application is approved, you will be contacted by phone. Application updates or requests for more information about your application will be emailed.
After the KC Bail Fund posts bail and the client is released, a case manager completes an intake with the client to determine the actions needed to meet the clients needs while awaiting trial.