Most people do not stop to think about how much value a bail bondsman provides for society. However, statistics show that the bail bond services industry brings in more than $2 billion every year! That is one indicator of how much demand there is for the services of quality bail bondsmen.
However, it is one thing to know that there are a lot of people who want the services of bail bondsmen. It is another thing to understand what it is that bail bondsmen do that is so valuable. Even people who have a superficial understanding of the duties of a bail bondsman often know almost nothing about some of the finer details of the profession.
So what is the job of a bail bondsman? Read on to learn all about the most important things to understand about what the bail bond industry is like!
What Is a Bail Bond?
To understand what a bail bondsman does, you must first understand what a bail bond is. This is one of the main reasons that people fail to understand what a bail bondsman does. It is even harder for them to understand because there are several different kinds of bail bonds.
However, all bail bonds have certain things in common. A bail bond is however much money someone has to pay so that they can get out of jail until their hearing.
The whole idea of the bail bond is that people will be less likely to avoid their criminal hearing if they cannot get their money back unless they do.
Of course, someone might be willing to lose some money if it meant escaping a serious verdict in court. Therefore, the more serious a crime is, the higher a bond needs to be.
Types of Bonds
In some cases, bail bonds are set so high that people cannot pay them and must wait in jail until the time of their hearing.
When that happens, the kind of bond involved is a cash bond. Cash bonds require that the entire amount of the bond be paid in cash before someone can be released from jail.
In contrast, there is a surety bond. When someone cannot pay the cash bond, they may try to pay the surety bond instead. The surety bond price will be set by a bail agent.
The bail agent will accept a smaller bond amount while also promising to make sure that the accused attends their hearing. That is a big hint about the purpose and the value of the job of a bail bondsman. Before we talk more about that, there are two other kinds of bonds to keep in mind.
Property bonds mean that the accused will lose their property rather than a cash sum if they fail to attend their court hearing.
Last of all, there is the immigration bond. This is another kind of bond that involves a bondsman. Accused people who are being detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement can pay an immigration bond amount to a bond agent who will then assure that they attend their hearing.
What Does a Bail Bondsman Job Entail?
So what is the point of the job of a bail bondsman? Because bail bondsmen exist, people can get out of jail even if they do not have enough money to pay a cash bond. That allows them to enjoy a higher quality of life in the interim without there being any concerns that justice will not be served and they will not attend their court hearing.
This is only possible because bail bondsmen are effective at making sure that people attend their hearings. In most cases, the threat of a bail bondsman trying to find someone and make sure that they attend their hearing is enough to get them to attend without any fuss.
However, in some cases, people think that they can escape. At this point, a bail enforcement officer or bounty hunter will apprehend the accused. Some bail bondsmen work both as bail agents and as bail enforcement officers.
That means that they both accept surety bonds and then enforce them personally if the accused attempts to flee. However, there are different kinds of training required to be a bail agent and to be a bail enforcement officer.
Those bail bondsmen that perform both functions have to receive both kinds of training. Depending on the situation, they may also need to receive extra licensing to perform both functions.
Bail Bondsman Salary and Security
Considering what bail bondsmen do, you might imagine that they enjoy excellent job security. That is true. There will always be a need for bail bondsmen.
Bail bondsmen tend to earn a little more than $40,000 each year. Of course, some bail bond agents earn a lot less, and some earn closer to $80,000 or even more each year.
Training to Become a Bail Bonding Agent
To succeed as a bail bondsman, you will need to be able to successfully track people down who attempt to avoid their court hearings. You will also need to understand many aspects of the law. Even bounty hunters have to be careful about the way that they apprehend people.
Before you can receive this training, you will need to have a high school diploma or GED. You will then need to apply to a training course and receive certification or licensing at a training school. At the end of the school, you will need to take a bail bondsman exam and pass with a grade of 70% or more.
Understand More About the Job of a Bail Bondsman
Not everyone knows very much about the job of a bail bondsman. However, those who take the time to learn a little more about it often realize that there are exciting career opportunities they did not consider before. With the right training and bail agency to work with, many people can enjoy a secure career for many years to come.
To learn more about the job of a bail bondsman and how to succeed in the industry, reach out and get in touch with us at any time!