When is bond forfeiture reported to the Department of Public Safety?

• A. When there is a final judgment on the forfeiture
• B. Immediately upon default
• C. Only if the defendant is convicted
• D. Only if the bond amount is posted

Answer: (A)

Bond forfeiture is officially finalized only when the court issues a final judgment on the forfeiture. That judgment establishes that the defendant breached the terms of the bond and the bond amount is forfeited to the state. At that point, reporting to the Department of Public Safety can occur because the forfeiture is a completed disposition with a formal amount due.

Reporting immediately upon default would be premature, since a default is not a final, enforceable determination. Requiring conviction would be too narrow, since forfeiture can happen without a conviction. And basing reporting on whether the bond amount is posted doesn’t reflect the legal decision that the forfeiture has been finalised.