What's the difference between the bail amount and reward for wanted criminals?

Question

I've seen online many "Most wanted" listings for criminals. Here's one.

http://www.wantedfugitives.com/santoyo.html

on this listing, it lists the bail amount of $250,000.

If I catch that person, will I get any of that money? If not, why is the bail amount listed?

Answer 1

Many criminals do not have a bounty on their heads.

Here's how it works.

You break into someone's house and break her leg. You get arrested and booked. A judge usually decides at an arraignment how much bail to set, if any. If one is set it can be "cash only" in which case unless you have that amount of cash or deed to property you're going to sit in jail. The judge can also set a bond in which case you could go to a bail bondsman(or woman) and with 10% of the sum the bondsman will put up the remainder of the sum on his or her good name. They do not actually have those funds. You can then be released.

If you skip a court date and a warrant is issued for your appearance your bail will be revoked. If you had a cash only bail that money or property will be forfeited to the state. If you had a bond then the bondsman will have to forfeit that amount to the state. That is why bondsmen put up bounties on criminals who have skipped out.

Obviously the bondsman is not going to give the bounty hunter the total amount of the bond but will likely give a percentage that is predetermined. More violent criminals may give bounty hunters a higher percentage. Giving a bounty hunter the 10% you gave them is a lot better than paying the 100%. Of course if you are caught you are still on the hook for any fees paid by the bondsman to the bounty hunter for your capture.

If an ordinary citizen calls in a tip to the police as to the whereabouts of a wanted criminal who has skipped on bail that citizen is not likely to get a bounty unless a specific reward was advertised. Rewards and bounties are not the same thing.