Hamilton County Community Bail Fund Description and Criteria
The purpose of the bail fund is to free people who are incarcerated pretrial when they can’t afford bail. We are neither attorneys nor bondsmen; we’re a nonprofit with a revolving fund account supported by the community. We have an agreement with the criminal court system in Hamilton County that allows us to meet the bond needs of eligible clients.
Eligibility Criteria
Unlike bondsmen, we post full bond amounts up front. The bond acts as insurance that a released individual shows up to court dates. If a person doesn’t show up to court, we forfeit the money. We don’t require payment or reimbursement from participants at any time during the process; our requirement is a commitment from participants to attend their court dates and inform us if any problems arise that could keep them from attending.
CALEB's bail fund committee evaluates applications based on four criteria:
1. Total Bond amount of $5000.00 or less;
2. A community contact in Hamilton County;
3. No pending charges from a previous arrest that would tie up bond refunds after trial;
4. No domestic violence charges.
The purpose of the bail fund is to free people who are incarcerated pretrial when they can’t afford bail. We are neither attorneys nor bondsmen; we’re a nonprofit with a revolving fund account supported by the community. We have an agreement with the criminal court system in Hamilton County that allows us to meet the bond needs of eligible clients.
Eligibility Criteria
Unlike bondsmen, we post full bond amounts up front. The bond acts as insurance that a released individual shows up to court dates. If a person doesn’t show up to court, we forfeit the money. We don’t require payment or reimbursement from participants at any time during the process; our requirement is a commitment from participants to attend their court dates and inform us if any problems arise that could keep them from attending.
CALEB's bail fund committee evaluates applications based on four criteria:
1. Total Bond amount of $5000.00 or less;
2. A community contact in Hamilton County;
3. No pending charges from a previous arrest that would tie up bond refunds after trial;
4. No domestic violence charges.
