Commercial bail bond agencies have been around in the United States since the late 1800s. With four states in the United States that have already banned commercial bail bond agencies, one wonders if commercial bail bond agencies are really needed, and if they are important when it comes to pretrial release. This paper will explore bail bond agencies history and how they became what they are today. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the ways that commercial bail bond agencies are important to pre-trial release, and explore the research and statistics that currently explain why commercial bail bond agencies are important. First, let’s explore the different terms that are common when one talks about commercial bail bond agencies. Surety …show more content…
In movies and television, bail bond agents are portrayed as these gun toting tough guys that swear a lot and tackle bail jumpers. In reality though, being a bail bond agent is far from that. Most of a bail bond agent’s job can be considered social work. About twenty percent of the job actually deals with writing bonds and bonding people out of jail. Eighty percent of what a bail bond agent does on a daily basis consists of doing paperwork, office work, and keeping up with clients (principals). Bail bond agents actively look for court dates on county websites and by calling attorneys or court clerks. After finding a court date, the bail bond agent then notifies the client (principal) about two weeks before the court date to make sure they are aware. Another important task the bail bond agent has to perform is keeping up with clients that check in weekly and figure out which clients are not checking in. Not checking in is a sign that the client will not go to court so that is when the bail bond agent will get into contact with the guarantor to see what is going on and see if there is a reason why the client is not checking in (maybe they are jail in another county or in a rehab/treatment center). If the client is in another county jail or in rehab/treatment center, the bail bond agent will usually get into contact with the client’s attorney to see if the attorney is going to reset a near approaching court date. At any time, the bail …show more content…
Then, the history and timeline of surety bonds were explored, with the first written surety like contract on the Mesopotamian tablet to the founding of The National Association of Surety Bond Producers. Then the laws and acts that pertained to bail and pretrial release was discussed. Pete McDonough was discussed; even though a controversial figure in the history bail bond agency, he helped start bail bond agencies in the United States. After Pete McDonough was covered, this paper covered how bail bonds work and what the role the bail bond agent plays. The question, are bail bond agencies important, was raised. With an explanation of why bail bond agencies are important and Dr. Robert Morris’ study was presented to back up the explanation, the question that was raised was answered. The main point that was established is that bail bond agencies reduce the rates of failure to appear in court and in return, save the court (taxpayers) more than 11 million dollars a year. Maybe those four states that have outlawed bail bond agencies should read Dr. Robert Morris’