Legal Definitions - bail-jumping

Bail-jumping is a criminal offense that occurs when an individual, released from custody after an arrest, fails to appear in court as required by the terms of their bail or release agreement. When a person is granted bail, they are typically released on the condition that they promise to return to court for all scheduled appearances. If they intentionally do not show up for a required court date without a valid legal excuse, they are considered to have "jumped bail," which is a separate crime from the original charges they face.

• For example, Maria was arrested for a misdemeanor offense and released after posting bail. A condition of her release was to appear for a preliminary hearing on a specific date. If Maria intentionally fails to show up for this hearing without a valid legal excuse, she has committed bail-jumping. This illustrates the term because she defaulted on her agreement to appear in court, which was a condition of her release on bail.

• Consider David, who is facing serious felony charges and has been released on a significant bail bond. While out on bail, he decides to leave the state and go into hiding to avoid prosecution. By fleeing the jurisdiction and thus making it impossible to appear for his scheduled court dates, David is engaging in bail-jumping. This demonstrates the term as he has deliberately violated the fundamental obligation of his bail agreement to present himself to the court.

• Suppose Sarah was convicted of a crime, but her sentencing was delayed, and she was allowed to remain free on bail until her sentencing hearing. If Sarah fails to appear on the date she is ordered to surrender to begin her prison sentence, she is committing bail-jumping. This scenario shows that bail-jumping applies not only to initial court appearances but also to any subsequent required appearances, including surrendering for a sentence, as long as the individual is out on bail.