Understanding What A Bail Bondsman Does

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By Walter Wagner


If you find yourself in serious legal trouble leading to an arrest, probably the only thing on your mind is how to get out of jail and how soon it can happen. Or you might get a call in the middle of the night from a friend or family member who has been arrested and wants you to bail them out. Many people would not even know what to do first. Most have watched enough television to know it will cost money to free someone and that a bail bondsman is the person to call.

Most of these people are on call twenty four hours a day seven days a week. They can explain what you need to do and how much it is going to cost. The court usually sets the bail amount in accordance with the severity of the offense. You will probably be required to put up ten percent of the amount in cash or collateral. The bondsman will handle the transfer of funds to the court. This money is supposed to make sure the accused appears in court as scheduled.

People who are in this line of work do have to meet some requirements before they are allowed to start a business. The regulations may vary from state to state, but most require individuals to take a class prior to taking the exam to get a license. All applicants have to be fingerprinted and pass a background check.

If you don't have the cash to post bond, you can call someone else to pay it for you as long as that person is at least eighteen years old. You can also put an asset, such as a house, up as collateral, but if the accused doesn't show up on his or her court date, the house can be foreclosed on. It will then be sold to the highest bidder in order to satisfy what is owed the court.

If the defendant doesn't show up for court, an arrest warrant will be issued. Law enforcement will be alerted, and the bondsman can even hire someone to find the person. Sometimes a private investigator is brought into the case to try and locate the accused.

The case can be turned over to a surety recovery agent, better known by most as a bounty hunter. Many have seen movies and television programs with bounty hunters as fictional characters. Some individuals actually think it would be fun to have this kind of job and wonder exactly what they would have to do to get started.

Requirements vary from state to state. In some places you really don't have to do anything but get the bondsman to hire you and tell you what to do and where to go. In other areas it is a felony to operate as a bounty hunter without a license. These individuals are paid a percentage of the bail money. How many cases they handle a year depends entirely on them, but most work on more than a hundred.

The best course of action is probably to avoid getting yourself in a bad legal situation that requires bail in the first place. Otherwise, knowing who to call in the middle of the night might be a good idea.




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