Posting Bail and Bail Bonds

Within 72 hours (not counting weekends or holidays) of arrest and detention in jail, defendants are brought before a judge (generally via closed circuit television) to be advised of their rights and for the setting of bail.  

Bail is a form of security.  It is an amount of money the defendant or a person bailing the defendant out of jail promises to pay the court should the defendant fail to appear on any date set by the court.

The defendant can post bail, friends and relatives may post bail, or a commercial bail bonding company may post bail. Note: attorneys and other officers of the court are prohibited by law from posting bail for another person.

Bail may be posted as actual cash deposited with the court, or may be in the form of real estate of the same value being promised to the court, or may be posted by a legal contract to pay by an individual or commercial company having sufficient financial worth.

If the defendant fails to appear for court, the person who posted the bail with the court has six months to locate the defendant and bring him into court.  After six months, the bail which was posted becomes the property of the court. Steps will be taken by the court to collect the cash, seize the property and assets promised, or garnish the wages of persons who have obligated themselves to the amount of the bail.

To avoid the loss of these monies, commercial bail bonding companies hire “bail agents” and “bounty hunters” to locate the defendant and bring him back to court before six months have elapsed.  Private persons rarely have access to these services and, instead, will most likely have to pay the court the full amount of bail owed when the defendant has not been located.

The 19th Judicial District Court has a Bail Bond Project on the third floor of the new 19th Judicial District Courthouse to assist persons with bail and bail bond questions:

Bail Bond Project
19th Judicial District Courthouse
300 North Boulevard, Suite 3401(on the third floor)
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Tel. (225) 389-4763

Bond Forfeiture Judgments

Should you receive a “Bond Forfeiture Judgment,” the court is notifying you that you owe the court the money that you promised when you bailed the defendant out of jail.  To coordinate your bail obligations, you may contact the District Attorney’s bond forfeiture unit below:

District Attorney's Bond Forfeiture Unit
City Hall
222 St. Louis Street, Suite 550
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Tel. (225) 389-5619