Miss. R. Crim. P. 8.7 (2026)

Rule 8.7 Transfer and Disposition of Bond. (a) Transfer Upon Supervening Indictment. An appearance bond or release order issued to assure the defendant’s presence for proceedings following the filing of a charging affidavit shall automatically be transferred to the same, related, or lesser charge subsequently prosecuted by indictment unless, following indictment, the judge presiding, for good cause, shall order revocation or modification of the conditions of release, as provided in Rule 8.6(a) and (b).

(b) Filing and Custody of Appearance Bonds and Security. Appearance bonds and security shall be filed with the clerk of the court in which the case is pending. Whenever the case is transferred to another court, any appearance bond and security shall be transferred also.

(c) Surrender of Defendant by Surety. The surrender of the defendant by a surety shall be governed by Mississippi Code Sections 99-5-27 and 99-5-29. In the event that a Professional Bail Agent, Soliciting Bail Agent, or Insurer has

provided a surety bond or other form of bail for a defendant without first obtaining payment in full for the premium on the bond, that defendant may not be surrendered because the defendant, or anyone assuming financial responsibility for the bond premium on the defendant’s behalf, has failed to make any payment to the surety following release of the defendant.

(d) Forfeiture. If at any time it appears to the court that a defendant has failed to appear, the court shall proceed as appropriate pursuant to Mississippi Code Sections 99-5-25, 21-23-8, or 99-5-11, and any related statutes or regulations which may apply.

(e) Cancellation of Bond. At any time that the court finds there is no further need for an appearance bond, the court shall cancel the appearance bond and order the return of any security deposited with the clerk.

Comment Rule 8.7(a) is consistent with current Mississippi practice regarding appearance bonds. The last sentence of section (c) addresses the situation where a bail bond company attempts to surrender the principal solely on the basis of nonpayment of the fee or commission, or any portion thereof, which was not collected at the time of issuance of the bond. Mississippi Code Section 83- 39-25 plainly directs that the professional bail agent “shall charge and collect” the premium, commission, or fee due. However, if the bail agent nevertheless elects to contract with the principal to issue bail on the payment of less than the full amount due, any subsequent collection effort is merely a contractual matter which may be resolved in civil court, not in criminal court by means of incarceration for nonpayment. See Brooks v. Pennington, 995 So. 2d 733 (Miss. Ct. App. 2007). The statutes governing bail permit wide latitude to the surety to surrender a person on bail; however, nonpayment of a contractual obligation between the principal and professional bail agent is not, standing alone, a proper basis for surrender. Section (d) defers to the extensive statutory procedure governing forfeiture of bail bonds provided in Mississippi Code Sections 99-5-25, 21-23-8, and 99-5-11.

Rule 9 Trial Setting

(a) Trial Docket. Within sixty (60) days after arraignment (or waiver thereof), the court shall enter an order setting a date for trial. Trial shall be set for no later than two-hundred-and-seventy (270) days after arraignment (or waiver thereof). A docket of cases set for trial shall be maintained by the clerk or the court administrator. Cases set by the judge for trial must be ready at the appointed time.

(b) Criminal Docket to Have Priority. Insofar as is practicable, trials of criminal cases shall have priority over trials of civil cases.

(c) Continuance of Trial Date. For good cause shown, a continuance may be granted by written order of the court on its own motion, or on the motion of a party stating, with specificity, the reasons for the continuance.