Difference Between A Bail Bondsman And A Bounty Hunter

Introduction

Definitely, in the course of study or doing some research, you may have come across the term “Bail Bondsman or Bail Agent,” as the case may be. You may have seen the bright and shining neon sign far across the street from any city jail bearing such a name. What about the name “Bounty Hunter?” Have you heard of that too? Have you seen or heard of anyone called for instance, “James the Bounty Hunter?” Before we proceed to unravel what these two agents and their activities are all about as far as the criminal justice system is concerned, it is paramount that will understand these two job titles are completely different in duties and obligations.

What is a Bail Bondsman or a Bail Agent?

Simply put, a bail bondsman also known as a bail dealer or a bail agent is an individual, agency or an organization that specializes in providing surety or pledge services in the form of money or property as bail to secure the appearance of arrested and indicted people in court. Usually, the bail bondsman in Orlando makes a loan on behalf of an accused criminal, especially one that is in jail, for the sole purpose of helping the said criminal to “post bond” and regain his or her freedom.

Who is a Bounty Hunter or a Fugitive Recovery Agent?

Bounty hunters are people who specialize in tracking and capturing of fugitives or wanted criminals on the run. They carry out their work by hunting down criminals, for which they get paid some money (bounty) as consideration for their unique services of tracking, locating, arresting and detaining of such wanted criminals as declared by the relevant authorities.

Duties Of The Bail Agent And The Bounty Hunter

From the onset, the duty of a bounty hunter is to track down and arrest criminal defendants who have decided to jump bail. These set of criminals have failed to appear in the court setting where they are expected to defend their case in front of a judge on the day their case is called, and so they must be located and arrested. A bounty hunter (most of whom prefer to be called “fugitive recovery agent,”) is an individual or a group of persons authorized with a written statement as permitted by the prevailing criminal laws in their respective states.

Their primary job is to track, arrest and detain any defaulting criminal defendant that have refused to honor his or her bail terms. They use various techniques, and experience garnered from intense training to surprisingly enter the dwelling place of the suspect to affect an arrest.

At times, the process of arresting the fugitive can lead to physical friction and resistance by the defendants, which may result in intense violence, bodily injury, and in some cases, eventual death. To this end, bounty hunters are allowed to fully protect themselves by using regular law enforcement tools such as vest for protection against bullets, handcuffs, mace, tasers, guns and such other relevant tools necessary for their survival and success of the task of arresting and bringing the criminal fugitive to justice. Some fugitive recovery agents may have a previous track record in law enforcement activities, thereby increasing their chance of success in the job, which needs the right kind of experience and tenacity to accomplish.

On the other hand, the primary duty of a licensed bail agent includes the drafting of contracts, administration of relevant forms and posting bail for the release of criminal defendants from prison custody. Bail bondsmen in Orlando must be a person or an agency or corporation licensed by the department of insurance in the state in which such a person, firm or corporation reside. He is a person who transacts, on behalf of the criminal defendant, bail for a particular amount of fee. The bail agent may be relatively or wholly familiar with the nitty-gritty of the criminal legal system in their locality as well as other necessary legal regulations.

Once the bond is authorized by an indemnitor, a family member of the accused criminal or the criminal him/herself, the defendant criminal will subsequently be released, and the bail bond is approved and accepted by the court overseeing the case, in lieu of the total bail amount. What happens is that the bail agent is guaranteeing it will pay the surety company in full if the accused criminal fails to appear in court as at when needed.

It must be noted that a bail bondsman in Orlando that is duly licensed has the authority to approach jail, bearing the necessary paperwork evidencing the bail bond to demand the release of an accused criminal. However, it is not in their duty to go out and search for a defendant who has jump bail and have refused to appear in court.

Differences Between A Bail Bondsman And A Bounty Hunter

The followings are some essential and unique characteristics that ultimately differentiate the two agents in their respective duties:

A bail bondsman on Orlando is employed as an agent to secure the release of a defendant criminal from jail through the legal and financial process of bail for a money consideration. But the bounty hunter is not responsible or licensed to act as an agent to secure the accused from jail.
The bounty hunter is responsible for tracking down and arresting the accused who is guilty of the crime of jumping bail and failing to appear in the court. But, the bail bond agent is not licensed or does not have to track and arrest the defendant for jumping bail.
The bail bondsman can employ the bounty hunter to find and arrest the accused for jumping bail and return him or her back to the criminal justice system, but the bounty hunter cannot post a bond seeking the release of the fugitive from jail.
The main weapons of the bail bondsman are his fair knowledge of the criminal law and such other legal regulations that will help in the course of securing the freedom of the defendant from prison. But, the main weapons of the bounty hunter are guns, handcuffs, tasers, mace and more.
The fugitive whom the bail bond agent is concern about is already under arrest or in jail, but the fugitive the bounty hunter is concerned about is still on the run.
The bounty hunter must be physically fit to ensure success and safety in its line of duty, but he bail bondsman doesn’t need physical fitness to perform his duty.

Conclusion

The major difference inherent in the duty of the two classes of agents is that: the bail bondsman in Orlando is called in to undertake the bail process and secure the release of the accused when things are going smoothly. On the other hand, the bounty hunter is only called in when things have gotten out of hand – to bring the accused back to jail.

For all your bail bond issues and if you need the services of experienced Bail Bondsmen in Orlando, contact us today.