3 Things To Understand About Bail Enforcement Services

When you are taken to jail and are released on bond, you are required to follow all the rules and regulations set forth by the judge, which includes showing up for all of your court appearances. If you don't show up for your court appearances and you don't notify your attorney or the judge with a valid reason, such as being in the hospital, the judge can revoke your bail and issue a warrant for your arrest. When your bail has been revoked, a bail enforcement agent may come to find you.

Who are Bail Enforcement Agents?

Bail enforcement agents go by many names. In some states, they are called a bail bond recovery agent or just a recovery agent. They are individuals who have the certifications to bring you into the courthouse or jail, when you fail to meet the terms of your bail. More often than not, if you worked with a bail agent to secure your bail, the bail enforcement agent who is sent is from the bail agent you worked with. When you don't show up to court, the bail agency loses money that they put up to secure your release.  In order to get that money back, you need to show up for court, which is why the bail company you worked with is likely to send someone after you.

How Does One Become a Bail Enforcement Agent?

About half of the states require that anyone who acts as a professional recovery agent has a state license, in order to work in this profession. Other states don't require licenses, but do require recovery agents to take specific training courses related to their job. In most states, there are some legal requirements, even if they don't require licenses, for bond recovery agents. One of the most common requirements is that the bond agent has to have not been convicted of a crime within a set amount of time.

How Bond Agents Recover Defendants

Once a bond agent finds someone who has skipped out on bail, they have to notify local law enforcement and let them know where the person is at. Once the police are notified, bail agents typically have to wait a set amount of time before arresting someone who has skipped out on bail. The wait period can be anywhere from an hour to twenty-four hours. This wait period is in place in order to give law enforcement officers, who have more experience apprehending someone, the opportunity to arrest them.

When you skip out on bail, don't be surprised, if you are tracked down by a bail enforcement officer. When you skip out on bail, you cost the bail company that put up your bail money and sending a bail enforcement officer after you is how they get that money back.

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