Request Bail Assistance

The Northwest Community Bail Fund is a non-profit that posts bail for people who can’t afford it. We post bail directly to the courts: in the same way any other community member would post without going through a bail bond agency. Once someone’s case has ended and they’ve attended all of their court dates, we then get the bail money we posted returned back to us. This way, we’re able to operate a revolving fund. 

We post bail in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties in Washington State. We cannot assist with requests for bail outside of these counties. If you need bail assistance in other regions of WA or another state, you may be able to find a local bail fund at The National Bail Fund Network Community Justice Exchange or at The Bail Project.

Due to the disproportionate impacts the criminal punishment system has on non-white and non-cisgender people and our limited funds, the bail fund prioritizes  requests for people who are non-white and non-cisgender. Factors that we will additionally prioritize and consider include but are not limited to health factors, pregnancy, impending loss of job, housing or shelter bed, caretaking responsibilities, and potential separation of families. When submitting a request, please provide as much information as possible. Any details around the timing of losing access to something are very helpful.

It will likely take at least a week, possibly longer, for us to post someone’s bail, once approved. We cannot post immediately once we receive a request. Please do not submit more than one request per person. Please look for emails from requests@nwcombailfund.org and calls from (877) 622-6223 following up on submitted requests.

We post bail for any charge. People are innocent until proven guilty. The only reason they are stuck in jail pretrial is due to the lack of money to post the bail.

While we do not require anything in order to post bail, we do ask that the person we post bail for attempts to make it to their court dates to the best of their ability. We operate on the ability to get our funds returned to us. Once someone’s case ends, we get the money we posted for bail returned back to us if they made it to all of their court dates.

There is no cost to you or your family for bail assistance. NCBF is powered by thousands of small donations.  We use these donations to pay bail when it’s not affordable for a person or their family to do so.  There is no cost or other obligation to the person receiving bail assistance.  We will not ask you to pay us back or to sign a surety.

No, we do not work with bail bond agencies. We function on the ability to get the funds we post returned back to us once someone’s case resolves. Please see ‘How does NCBF work?’ and ‘What is a bail bond agency, and how is it different from a bail fund, like NCBF?’.

Commercial bail bonds are granted by people called bond agents. In order to have the bail bond paid, the incarcerated person (or their family member or other representative) must pay the bond agent a percentage, typically around 10% of the assigned bail set by the court. So if a judge sets bail at $10,000, the incarcerated individual must pay $1,000 – $1,500 before they can return home. Smaller bails are usually 10% plus a fee, to make it worth the bail bond agent’s while (so a $1,000 set bail may cost $150 – $200).The payment to the bond agent is nonrefundable, and the agent keeps it for profit.

Though they claim they exist as a service that allows folks to leave jail, bond agents’ priority is making money, not securing people’s freedom. Sometimes they won’t accept clients with low bail amounts because those jobs aren’t as profitable.1 Therefore, it’s in bail bond agents’ best interest that the US maintains a cash bail system—a system that disproportionately affects people of color, who often cannot afford bail themselves. Bond agents also take advantage of people’s misunderstanding of bail bond agreements and their financial situations to lock them into contracts that only drive them further into debt.2 The bond agent may also require collateral (like a house, car, or jewelry from the person paying the bond agent) to ensure the defendant shows up for court.

It’s also helpful to understand that bail bond agents do not actually pay the bail to the court. Instead, they make an agreement, or contract, with the court saying they will pay the bail money if the person does not attend court. Commercial bail bonds are usually underwritten by large insurance companies that agree to pay the amount owed if the person fails to show up for court. If the person doesn’t appear, the bail agent can call in a bounty hunter to track them down.

Bail bond companies are even protected by several WA state laws that allow for delays and exceptions to them having to pay out if a defendant doesn’t appear in court. Here are some examples:

• 10.19.105 essentially gives the surety a 60-day grace period before paying on any forfeitures. It’s not a guarantee and is left up to a judge’s discretion.

• 10.19.140 says that if the bail has been forfeited and the surety (bond agency) is directly responsible for apprehending (by coordinating with law enforcement) or bringing the defendant back to court within 12 months, the bond will be refunded minus any costs incurred by law enforcement.

• 10.19.160 gives bail bond agencies the authority to bring someone back to jail if they have a forfeiture notice or an affidavit giving a good reason for the surrender.

• 10.19.090 says if the court does not notify the surety, in writing, within 30 days of a failure to appear (FTA)/forfeiture, the forfeiture is null and void and will be exonerated.

If you click the above links and review the laws themselves, you’ll notice how the language is tailored to bond agencies: principal, surety, bond, recognizance, judgment debtors, etc. There is no language referencing bail in terms of cash or unsecured bail.

Bail funds operate very differently. Funds like NCBF have a goal of getting community members out of jail when they cannot afford to pay bail. NCBF, and other bail funds, will pay the full bail amount directly to the court. In making this full payment, bail funds will also receive the bail money back once the case is finished, assuming the person meets court expectations, including mandatory attendance at hearings. Bail funds can then continue using that money to bail more people out.

Bail funds are not concerned with making a profit off people in need. Though bail funds get the bail payment back if the person shows up for court (just like bond agents do), bail funds don’t prey on the incarcerated person and their families to get that initial payment. The money comes out of the bail fund itself, and community members don’t pay anything for the service.

1. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/profit-over-people/

2. Ibid.

It depends on the court. If we are able to split the bail payment across one case, it has to be split in full, meaning it cannot be split between us and a bail bond agency. The courts will not accept payment that way. It would have to be split between us and someone else who had access to the entire remaining amount.

No, we do not post immigration bonds; they are entirely different from pretrial bail. If the person is detained in Washington state, please check out the Fair Fight Bond Fund.

If you need supportive assistance, such as housing assistance, food assistance etc., you can find resources at www.emeraldcityresourceguide.org

Your attorney is your best source of information about your case and about your court appearances and obligations.  You should stay in touch with your attorney throughout your case. We are not lawyers and we don’t represent you in your case. You should not talk about any details or anything to do with your case with anyone other than your lawyer, unless your lawyer has told you it’s okay.  We don’t have confidentiality the way your lawyer does.

If you do not know how to reach your attorney, we can usually provide you with the main phone number for your attorney’s office.

You can call the court the charge(s) were filed with and they should be able to tell you. It is public information. 

You can find out information about your upcoming court dates as well as other court case related information online or by contacting the court clerk’s office. Please see our court information page for the various courts, court contact information, and to find your court date online.

Court Information

You will need to contact the court directly or your attorney. The courts, not the jail, are responsible for returning cash bail once a case is resolved. Depending on the jurisdiction there may also be fines and fees subtracted from the total bail amount before it is returned. Some courts require a motion or an order to be filed before your funds can be returned because the clerk cannot release any funds without an order from the judge. Most courts provide the forms you will need to file with the court free of charge, either online or at the courthouse, along with instructions so a judge can review the request. Other times the bail has been exonerated (released by a judge) and all you need to do is call the court and ask them to return your money. Please be advised the Clerk’s Office is prohibited from giving legal advice. Below are links to some of the court websites where these forms can be found.