Bail agents are an extension of the criminal justice system, what they do is support arrestees, defendants and inmates by providing them with the serve of posting bail so that they will be released from custody, if this an option that the court has provided of course.
Although on TV or in the movies, bail agents are stereotypes in an overly dramatic way, the reality is much different. Although in every type of business, there are people who will use and abuse positions of power, this does not mean that every bail agent does this. Although a bail agent is not a police officer, they generally carry a gun and have the authority to arrest or rearrest a fugitive that has skipped bail.
Basically the role of a bail agent starts early on. Once the severity of a crime has been decided by the judge an appropriate amount of bail if any at all is decided upon. At this moment the arrestee makes the choice of either covering the full amount to the court or contacting a bail agent who will pay an average of around 10% of the full amount.
There are rules and stipulations involved which have to be signed by the defendant and any co-signers in order to take advantage of this solution that is more affordable. They have to guarantee that the defendant in question will not skip bail, and that they will also appear at every scheduled appearance the court has stipulated. If there is a breach of this contract, this is where the bail agent turned bounty hunter.
When a bail agent must take on the role of bounty hunter, there are merely doing so to protect their personal interest which if course monetary as well as their relationship with the surety company which they work very hard to protect. There are many steps that a bail agent can take to bring a fugitive back to court, after all they would do just about anything to protect their interest so it is important to never underestimate a bail agent that has turned bounty hunter.
When all’s said and done, a bail agent provides the community with an affordable service by making the process of posting bail one which gets a defendant out of jail allowing them to spend high quality time with friends and loved ones as they prepare, along with the attorney for their defense. This makes the situation a lot more productive for everyone involved. If you are in Miami areas check out this great bail bonds Miami company. They have very fast service and you can fill out forms online. This will save you many hours.