What the Courts Do
If you appear at all of your court appointments, your bail will be exonerated when the case is closed. Keep in mind that if you incur outstanding fines at sentencing, the court will most likely take that out of your bail money. If you paid cash bail, the court will refund the bail amount owed to you. Wisconsin does not have bail bondsmen, however in states that do, the refund would go to the bond company.
If you do not appear at all court appointments, in person or represented by your lawyer, the court will take your bail away and you will lose your money. If you were arrested in a different state and used a bail agent, the bondsman will go after you and/or a cosigner for the money, or otherwise the company will keep your collateral.
For additional information about Wisconsins laws that control bail refund or forfeitures, feel free to contact one of our knowledgeable criminal defense attorneys at Affordable Legal Services in Madison, Wisconsin at 608-834-1355.