Q: Are you a government agency or affiliated with Dauphin County?
A: We are not a government agency affiliated with Dauphin County in any way. We are an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Q: Are you a bail bonds company?
A: We are not a private bail bonds company. We post bail in full at no charge to our clients. We have no paid employees and are made up of volunteers and advocates.
Q: Will you pay for a bail bondsman to bail out my loved one?
A: Generally speaking we will not pay funds to a bail bonds company. Our model depends on DCBF posting bail in full and acting as a surety so that bail funds get returned to us at the conclusion of an individual’s case.
Q: A bondsman told me it was a certain % of the total bail amount to bail out my loved one?
A: Bail Bonds companies are essentially insurance companies. They are allowed to post a % of bail and act as a surety for individuals. Because we are not a bail bonds company we are not able to post a percentage of bail and must pay the entire bail.
Q: How quickly will you be able to post bail for an individual?
A: We are a small organization made up of volunteers. We will post bail as quickly as we can but we are bound by individual capacity and banking hours. From the time of receipt of your inquiry it may take several days for us to be able to post bail.
Q: Do you provide services to people that you bail out?
A: We are not a service provider. Generally speaking, we do not provide resources other than paying bail. In some cases, we may be able to provide information about where someone can access a resource. Besides paying bail, the bail fund also seeks to educate the community about the issue of pre-trial detention and advocate for ending this practice.
Q: Can you provide me legal advice/find me a lawyer?
A: We are not lawyers and cannot provide legal advice. We are not able to find or refer lawyers to any clients
Q: Do you base whether or not to post bail on the charges an individual is facing?
A: We do not discriminate based on charges; after all, those held pretrial are innocent until proven guilty. If someone is held pretrial for the reason of not being able to pay bail, they may qualify for our help. We do, however, prioritize referrals from individuals who come from marginalized communities or who may be particularly at-risk at Dauphin County Prison.
Q: Can you post bail for a facility outside of Dauphin County Prison?
A: Generally speaking we do not post bail at facilities outside of Dauphin County Prison. If you are seeking bail support outside of Dauphin County please refer to the National Bail Fund Networks directory to find a fund that is active in your local jurisdiction.
Q: Are you affiliated with Law Enforcement, the District Attorney, the Court System, or Dauphin County?
A: We are not affiliated with any law enforcement entities. We will not voluntarily share any information with such entities.
Q: Can you bail someone out if they have a detainer?
A: Generally speaking we don’t pay bail for people who have detainers because, as long as they have a detainer, they will not be released from DCP.
Q: If bail is posted and I don’t show up to court, am I liable to pay you back?
A: If the bail fund pays your bail, you do not owe anything to the bail fund. The possible consequences for not showing up to court are between you and the court system. If you do follow the terms of release and the money the bail fund posted comes back into the fund, it is able to be used to bail someone else in need out in the future.