Bail Bondsman Job Description

Bail bondsmen are also known as or bail agents.

Are you considering a career as a bail bondsman? In order to make an informed decision, you need to research on what will be expected of you on the job, the scope and limitation of your responsibilities and the education and skill requirements for a bail bond agent.
In a nutshell: the job of a bail bondsman is to assist in maintaining an accused person’s freedom after he or she is arrested for a crime and attends a bail hearing. A bail agent is also responsible for making sure that defendants will return to court for their trial.

What Does a Bail Bondsman Do?

As a bail bonds man, you can work for yourself, as an employee of a bail bond company or insurance company. The objective of bail agents is to provide bail money as insurance that those accused of a crime and have been temporarily released from prison while awaiting their trial will put in an appearance for their scheduled court hearings. You have the option of hiring bail enforcement officers or fugitive recovery agents, more commonly known as bounty hunters, whose job it is to search for and take into custody any defendant who fails to appear in court.

Of course, bail agents have the option of working as bounty hunters at the same time. However, in some cases, this will require additional training and licensure, depending on the state where you operate.

Job Duties of a Bail Bondsman

You will act as a liaison between the courts and defendants. As mentioned above, you will provide the required amount for an accused person to be released from custody while he or she is awaiting trial. In the event that the defendant fails to show up at court on the scheduled trial date, it will be your, or alternately, your bounty hunter’s, job to locate the accused within a certain period of time that the court has established. Otherwise, you will forfeit the full bail amount that you put up on the defendant’s behalf.

Required Skills and Education for Bail Bond Agents

Several states require licensure for bail agents; however, the requirements for licensure vary from state to state. In general, there is a minimum age requirement for prospective bail bondsmen, and individuals may be subjected to a criminal background and credit check. There are states that require aspiring bail bondsmen to undergo some formal training and pass a licensing examination. In addition to this, continuing education courses must be completed in order to retain licensure.

Those who thrive in some form of risk are ideal candidates for this job, as there are real dangers associated with becoming a bail agent. Aside from the possibility that you might forfeit the amount you put up for a defendant who decides to skip his court date, you will need to track down potentially dangerous and violent individuals, apprehend them and bring them to jail.