# Do you forfeit bail if you commit suicide before trial? (Need answer fast.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643 "2010-02-04T05:02:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/1 "2010-02-04T05:02:10Z")
Google doesn’t seem to know. Assume we’re in the United States (though obviously there could be differences from state to state). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/2 "2010-02-04T05:26:28Z")
When a case is no longer pending bail cannot be forfeited. Charges generally die with a defendant, so the effect is the same as if the charges are dropped. In Texas, for example: > [@](#): > > Art. 22.02. [425] [489] [477] MANNER OF TAKING A > FORFEITURE. Bail bonds and personal bonds are forfeited in the > following manner: The name of the defendant shall be called > distinctly at the courthouse door, and if the defendant does not > appear within a reasonable time after such call is made, judgment > shall be entered that the State of Texas recover of the defendant > the amount of money in which he is bound, and of his sureties, if > any, the amount of money in which they are respectively bound, which > judgment shall state that the same will be made final, unless good > cause be shown why the defendant did not appear. I _presume_ the death of the defendant would be good cause for failure to appear. I can only find an explicit citation for this under [Indian law](http://books.google.com/books?id=jKIFKLqIFKEC&pg=PA235&lpg=PA235&dq=forfeiting+bail+due+to+suicide&source=bl&ots=-F9FSXwDj5&sig=BTNzQDTZGs2JwLBH4qkrugcFiFk&hl=en&ei=nFhqS9beNuWutgeV_bHeBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CBIQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=&f=false), though (see p. 235). India has a common law system based on the body of English and Welsh law, although this particular area of law is governed under its Code of Criminal Procedure. There are any number of cases in the US where somebody faked suicide and subsequently forfeited bail for failure to appear when it was discovered that they were actually alive (such as pyramid schemer and Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu), but none in which the defendant actually offed himself. The [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure](http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/Rule46.htm) don’t cover this specific issue, and neither do Florida’s. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/3 "2010-02-04T05:44:31Z")
\ I’ve communicated with **VarlosZ** about the topic and he has said the “Need Answer Fast” part was a joke on his part. Anyone concerned about this - he seems sincere about it. No worries. \ ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/4 "2010-02-04T17:53:50Z")
I don’t know, but props for the best-ever use of the “Need Answer Fast” meme! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/5 "2010-02-04T18:01:29Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I don’t know, but props for the best-ever use of the “Need Answer Fast” meme! And for the quick answers. Don’t want to leave him hanging. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/6 "2010-02-04T19:09:34Z")
I see what you did there. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/7 "2010-02-04T19:11:21Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I don’t know, but props for the best-ever use of the “Need Answer Fast” meme! I properly LOLed and my roomie asked what was so funny. And I couldn’t explain. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/8 "2010-02-04T21:18:11Z")
For the record, I was not fooled. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/9 "2010-02-05T00:14:19Z")
Thanks to \*\*RNATB \*\*for the cites and the fast response; the info about Indian law is a particularly nice pull. ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/10 "2010-02-05T03:22:19Z")
I thought not including a disclaimer with the joke was dickish: the message board equivalent of a 911 prank call (and no, I didn’t take it seriously either). ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/11 "2010-02-05T03:35:10Z")
Sorry, I thought at the time that it would be obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/12 "2010-02-05T03:41:43Z")
No apology expected from me but thanks anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/13 "2010-02-05T04:00:28Z")
First reaction: Thanks for the laugh. Then: If the guy kills himself after someone bonded him out, then it’s a damn valid question, since the person posting bond **might** be liable. Q ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/14 "2010-02-05T04:21:45Z")
What prompted the question was a rerun of _Law & Order_ — the detectives reveal to a suspect that they have him dead to rights for causing the deaths of a half dozen people, including several children, at which point he runs off to the bathroom and jams a pen into his throat. “Not an unreasonable course of action,” I thought, except the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Better to get out on bail and then dispose of yourself in a more dignified manner … unless, of course, you and your family have posted a huge bond that would be forfeit in the event of your suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/15 "2010-02-05T08:12:15Z")
I assume the question is valid and I’ve worked for a bail bond agency and we’ve had clients die before their court date. You get the bond released by forwarding a copy of the death certificate to the county clerk or whatever jurisdiction may be required. It’s real easy as long as you have the death certificate, to get your bail back. The whole point of bond is to assure the person appears in court. If he/she can’t appear, you get your money back. Bond is not randsome. However the bond agency always gets it’s percentage regardless of the case, that can vary from 5% to 15%. So in otherwords if bond is $10,000 for example, the bond agency I worked for charge let say 15%. We’d keep $1,500 if regardless. That’s the fee for putting up the bond regardless if the guy is innocent, guilty or dead. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/16 "2010-02-05T17:23:58Z")
Nitpick: _ransom._ ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-forfeit-bail-if-you-commit-suicide-before-trial-need-answer-fast/527643/17 "2010-02-05T17:28:26Z")
I had a client on bail die once. No problem going to court to get the bail money released. Of course, most bail is posted by a professional bonding company, and they get to keep the fee (usually 10%) regardless. But you can at least get your collateral released.