Can a bail bondsman kept the bond for their fee?

When someone gets a bail bond, they pay a non refundable fee to the bail bond agent. This is called a premium. It is similar to any other insurance product that you purchase that involves the payment of a premium to the insurance company (in this case the bail agent...who is actually an independent contractor of an insurance company). Other than this payment, the bail bond agent does not receive any additonal fees on a straight bail bond transaction. There are some very good videos explaining the process at ExpertBail's website under the Video FAQ section.