If you have the money, you can always do what is called a “cash bail” and take the full amount, (in our example, $20,000), down to the jail and pay the clerk at the window. Once the defendant has fulfilled all of their court obligations and the bond has been exonerated, the full $20,000 would be returned to you (minus any administrative fees).
Please be aware the money you pay for the defendant’s release at the jail can take quite a while, possibly months to be returned to you. This is why using a bail bondsman is the fastest, easiest, most convenient way of procuring release from jail with the least possible amount of money and time.
