Chap. 412.—An ACT allowing cash deposits in lieu of recognizances with surety

in criminal cases. . [fH B 51]
Approved March 21, 1924.

‘1. Beit enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That whenever
a person arrested on a criminal charge has been admitted to bail by a
court or an officer authorized by law so to do, for his appearance before
any court or justice, he may,-instead of entering into a recognizance
with surety as required by law, give his personal recognizance and de-
posit, or cause to be deposited for him, in cash, the amount of bail he
is required to furnish, with the clerk of the circuit court of the county
or the clerk of the corporation or hustings court of the city in which he
was admitted to bail, which clerk shall give him a certificate thereof,
and upon delivering said certificate to the court or officer admitting him
to bail, he shall be ordered to be released.
2. If there be no default in the observance of the conditions of the
recognizance, upon the termination of the proceedings the money so
deposited, shall, by order of the trial court or justice, be refunded to the
defendant, or upon his order; but if there be any such default, the same
action shall be taken, and the same proceedings had, with like rules
governing, so far as applicable, as if the recognizance had been with
surety instead of with the cash deposit aforesaid, and the clerk having
the money shall dispose of the same, if there be a judgment of forfeiture,
in the same manner as other money received on account of forfeited
recognizances is required to be disposed of.

3. The defendant may surrender himself at any time before de-
fault in the same manner as sureties may surrender their principal, and
the money so deposited shall, thereupon, by order of the court or officer
to which or to whom such surrender was made, be returned to the de-
fendant or on his order.

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