If you have ever been curious about the life of a bail bonds agent, we are here to let you in on a day in the life of a bondsman. While bondsmen have become more prominent in pop culture because of television shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter, people throughout the country are becoming more and more interested in the life of bondsmen. But how exactly does the system work, and what exactly does a bondsman do?
As you may already know, bail is usually some sort of property, usually money, that is given or pledged to a court to allow an individual to be released from jail after being arrested as a suspect for a crime. The understanding is that the subject will have to return to the court to be tried for the offense. In some cases, the money of property will be returned at the end of the trial, regardless of the verdict. So where does the bondsman fit into all of this?
Bondsman are agents that pledge or deposit money or property to a court for a person who is a criminal defendant. When someone is arrested, they must submit bail to the court in order to be released from jail. A bond agent will submit this money on behalf of the criminal defendant. The agent usually charges 10-15% of the total amount owed. This percentage acts as the bondman’s compensation for services. The bondsman will usually bill the defendant for any other fees incurred, including gas, phone bills and anything else that has to do with posting the required money or apprehending the defendant.
Sometimes, if the bails required are large enough, the bondsman can take part of the defendant’s assets to ensure that the amount is obtained. If the defendant does not appear in court, the bond agent is allowed by law to bring the find a way to legally obtain the defendant, and bring him or her to the court to recover the money that was issued by the bondsman on behalf of the defendant. This process is usually completed with the help of a bounty hunter.
Bail is usually practiced much less in other countries besides the United States. The U.S. is only one of two countries in the world where bounty hunting is legal and bondsmen practice within the legal system. While bounty hunters have been made illegal in some states, some bondsmen must apprehend these fugitives on their own. The bail bonds agent can sue individuals who were responsible for guaranteed the defendant’s appearance in court, but failed on this agreement, and they can sue the defendants themselves for compensation.
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