Lately, there has been a significant increase in the amount of cash bails that have been getting set in Baltimore City. A lot of people call Big Boyz Bail Bonds to inquire about posting these cash bails. Technically, a bail bondsman cannot post these bails and charge a fee to do so. When a district court commissioner or a judge makes a bail a "cash only bond" it means exactly that, only cash can be put up for the bond. No corporate surety (a bail bondsman) or property can be posted.
So this begs the questions: Why set a bond at cash only? Why has there been so many more cash bails being set in Baltimore City. There are many reasons as to why this is occurring, but primary reason is to make it more difficult for the defendant to get released. In many respects, bail bondsmen make the bail posting process very simple and affordable. Bail Bondsmen can take low percentages down for down payments and finance the balance at no interest. When a bond is set at cash, there is no financing available, either the cash gets paid, or the defendant doesn't get released.
In Baltimore City there are at least a couple judges that do not believe in Bail Bondsmen and there function to society. Because of this, they change every bail to whatever the 10% of the bail is and make it set at 100% cash. For example, if you were given a $10,000 bail, the judge would re-set the bond to $1,000 at 100% cash. This obviously makes it very difficult to make the bond and most people cannot afford a lot of the cash bonds that are getting posted in Baltimore City.
Essentially what the judges are doing, in many respects, is assuming guilt prior to the defendant's trial and hence punishing the defendant for it. In addition, they are not taking into consideration, the primary purpose of bail, which is to insure the defendant's appearance in court. In all honesty, who is going to go after a person who forfeits on a cash bond? When a bail bondsman posts a bail they sign a bond stating they are indebted to the courts in the full amount of the bond. That's why there are bounty hunters, because there is real money at stake.
