Bondsman And Bounty Hunters

[Pencey]

I've been looking up these two vocations to try and understand what each of them does and how they get paid but some of the info I'm searching for I'm having a hard time finding.

I understand the role of the bounty hunter as he's hired by the bondsman to bring back somebody to collect a percentage of the bond.

What I don't understand is:

1) What is a bondsman?
2) Who pays the bondsman?

[OtisCriblecoblis]

A Bondsman is in the business of making short term loans.

You get arrested, the Judge sets your bail at, say $100,000. You don't have $100,000.

So, you call your friendly neighborhood bondsman and he loans you the $100,000 -- which he pays directly to the court so you can get out. You have to pay him the interest and his fee up front (this is how he makes his money).

When you show up for trial he gets his money refunded by the court. If you don't show up he gets to send a bounty hunter after you to make you show up. Some bondsmen require collateral -- you don't show, he gets your house, car, whatever, and also gets to send a bounty hunter.

Edited to remove redundant word.

[opus]

i think some bondsmen double as bounty hunters.

[NeoRegicana]

Watch Jackie Brown

'The film's by Alan Alda. We're directing it' - Kodak

[opus]

Actually Rum Punch, the book Jackie Brown was based off of gives a very detailed breakdown of how the business worked. The bails bondsman in the story is based of an actual person.

[BeefMissle]

Bob Burton in AZ is considered the best in the business. He operates a Bounty Hunter school and works as a film/tv advisor (Midnight Run).

[nshumate]

Bondsmen are pretty common; I'd say your best bet would be to open the phone book and give a call to a local bondsman. He'd probably be more than happy to tell you a little about his business. (A lot of bondsmen also operate pawnshops -- I don't know why the two professions have grown together -- so if you venture in and pick up something to purchase, we'd probably be even happier to shoot the breeze.)

[BeefMissle]

Check www.bounty-hunter.net for more details.

[Fangasm]

And check out reruns of The Fall Guy and Renegade, because I think they were totally accurate representations of the biz.

[Actor]

The bondsman fee is 10%. I know a guy whose bond was set at $30,000 and he had to pony up $3,000 to get out. After being out for two days they dropped the charges and the bondsman got to keep the $3,000. I asked him if the two days of freedom were worth $3,000. He said, "You're damned right they were."