HOW BAIL BONDS WORK When someone is arrested, they are generally given a bail amount. This amount can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars — and they are often more than a person can pay at once. A bail amount is designed to ensure that the arrested individual goes to their court dates. If they fail to show up, the bail is forfeited. Thus, once someone has been arrested, someone will need to show up with the bail amount in order to bail the i