Everybody knows the profession bounty hunter from their glorified roles in TV and movies, like Dog the Bounty Hunter and Boba Fett. But in reality, the job is not as glamorous as those media forms make it seem. These are people who track down common criminals who flee after being released on LA bail bonds.
Maybe it is the title of bounty hunter that makes the profession seem so cool. In order to view this objectively, instead use the more common title of bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent. Those are not quite as cool, but that is the reality of the profession.
Los Angeles Bail Bondsmen
After someone gets arrested, the arrestees family will need to bail them out. Typically, the bail amount is too much to pay all at once, so they hire a Los Angeles bail bondsman to post bail. In return, the bondsman receives a 10% fee, which is their profit. The reason that they take on this burden is because the full amount of the LA bail bond is returned to them at the conclusion of the trial, assuming the arrestee attends all scheduled court appearances.
It is when the defendant skips a court date or jumps bail that the Los Angeles bail bondsman has to take action, including hiring a bail enforcement agent to track down the fugitive.
Defendant Responsibilities
If the person skips one scheduled court date, it is usually alright as long as they provide a valid reason. If they miss another, or are constantly late, then it becomes a problem.
The arrested person has a responsibility to go to trial. This is mandated by the legal system and put in writing in the bail contract that the indemnitor signed. The
Los Angeles bail bonds business does not want to lose the
bail bonds cost, so it will take all means necessary to recoup its losses if someone jumps bail, including taking collateral from the person who signed the bond.
It is also the LA bail bondsmans duty to ensure that the arrestee is brought to justice. If he/she will not go willingly, then a third party may be hired.
Bounty Hunters
Once it is proven that someone has skipped bail, it is the bondsmans responsibility to bring that person back to
Los Angeles county jail. They may spend some time investigating themselves, but soon they will employ a bounty hunter to track the person down for a fee.
In the United States, bounty hunters claim to capture 90 percent of bail jumpers. The reality is that most of their targets are not high profile fugitives, but simply people who dont want to go to jail, but are also too lazy to move far away. Not quite as glamorous as the movies.
Being a bounty hunter is certainly an interesting profession, but nothing like its media portrayal. The main thing they do is ensure that the judicial system works and that Los Angeles bail bondsmen get paid.
