Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Suspects bonding out of jail for less, affecting public safety

August 23, 2011 by Collateral Staff
Posted in: Bail Buzz

CHATTANOOGA, TN — Local judges note that bonding companies in Chattanooga are accepting low payments to get defendants out of jail, which could affect public safety. Bondsmen state that the current economic climate is putting pressure on them to accept, in some cases, 3% of a bond amount.

Some experts believe that the trend – while not against any laws – could result in higher bonds set by judges. The state bonding association believes that there is a saturation in the market, meaning more competition for bondsmen.

The association has considered increasing the requirements for new bondsmen, increasing fees, or even limiting the number of bail businesses allowed to open. | Read More

Monday, August 22, 2011

Bounty Hunters -- Are They Necessary?

Bounty Hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman on the business of being a bail bondsman.





Friday, August 19, 2011

Judges Trust Violent Criminals to Show for Sentencing

BY TRESA BALDAS

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

They were all convicted of violent crimes: a child rapist from Texas, a Pennsylvania drug dealer and a Detroit man who sexually abused an 8-year-old girl.

They all fled while awaiting sentencing.

No surprise, say critics who question why courts are releasing convicted felons at the most crucial stage in the game: when the presumption of innocence is gone, and they know they're facing hard time.

Those critics -- bail bond agents, crime-victim rights advocates and prosecutors -- say there's a long-standing problem in the criminal justice system: judges releasing dangerous felons after they've been convicted, trusting them to show for sentencing.

Sometimes, they bolt.  |   READ MORE

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Hotel Standoff in Tucson, Arizona   

The Sheriff's Office responded to a call concerning shots fired near the Interstate 10 and Irvington Road at 2:11 a.m. When they arrived, deputies talked with two bail bondsmen from Better Bail Bonds who had left a hotel room after hearing shots from another room where they believed Felix was staying. Luis Felix, Jr., 22, surrendered himself to a SWAT team, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Office.

Monday, August 15, 2011

PreTrial Services Program Creates Debate

August 9, 2011 by Collateral Staff
Posted in: Bail Buzz

DELAND, FL — Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson, Public Defender Jim Purdy, State Attorney R.J. Larizza, and Chief Judge William Parsons have all put their support behind the local pretrial services program. The program has supervised more than 5000 cases in 2010 alone but faces budget cuts in 2012. However, not everyone agrees with the utility of the program. Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff has filed a bill which would limit pretrial services to indigent defendants. | Read More

Friday, August 12, 2011

Better Bail Bonds Offers New Electronic Monitoring System

Better Bail Bonds now has the contract to provide a new electronic monitoring for defendants in the Valley of the Sun. This new monitoring system allows us to offer better monitoring services, has the contract to provide electronic monitoring for companies that are in need of this service.

The new monitoring service uses computer mapping technology devices that tracks offenders, and alerts when they leave where they should be.

John Burns, Chief Bonding Agent, Better Bail Bonds, said, "They can go to work. They can go anywhere the court will allow them. But they are also excluded from certain places." Offenders monitored on GPS electronic monitoring practice new behaviors to remain compliant to the terms of their release from jail. Offenders who are ready to change the course of their lives find the accountability provided by two piece GPS tracking a significant help in establishing new productive routines.

State budget cuts in the State of Arizona will lead to longer waits for trial for many people charged with crimes, and electronic monitoring will be used more and more to keep them out of jail, saving taxpayer money.

Better Bail Bonds implemented the new electronic monitoring service this week with their first ten offenders. He has bail bondsmen assigned to monitor the new system, 24 hours a day.

A person on electronic monitoring costs only $4 to $10 per day whereas an incarcerated offender can cost between $40 to $80 per day. The savings are tremendous, and electronic monitoring is a great way to show county officials and tax payers that the right tools actually increase public safety while decreasing costs.

For additional information on the new electronic monitoring system offered by Better Bail Bonds, contact John Burns at 480-560-4390.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Things you should know about bailing someone out of jail

Q. Why do we have to put up collateral?

A.Collateral is used to secure a surety bond. Collateral "secures" the performance of the appearance bond, and the appearance bond "secures" the appearance of the defendant to all of his court hearings. Collateral is returned upon the Court's exoneration of the bond. Depending on the location, collateral is required in every case; some states, such as Arizona, are collateral states.

Q. If I put my property up as collateral and a lien is placed on said property, how do I have the lien removed?

A.Once the defendant completes his/her court obligations and the bond is “exonerated,” you will be required to go to the clerk's window at the courthouse and get the exoneration of bond document showing that the liability to the bail bonding company has been concluded. It is your responsibility to get the form to your bail bonding company and request for the lien to be removed.

Please Note:
The bonding company will NOT remove the lien until they have received the OFFICIAL verification the bond has been exonerated; also the bonding company may require an additional fee before they can remove the lien.

Once the exoneration of bond has been received and all contractual fees have been paid, you will receive a “Full Reconveyance” document, usually within 30 days.

A common misconception we hear is the belief that once the bond is exonerated we receive our money back for the bond. This is incorrect.

The bail bonding company does not receive its money back once the bond is exonerated. Even if the case is never filed, the person who guarantees the premium is still responsible to pay the remaining balance until it is paid off.

Q. What are the legal percentages that a bonding company may charge and can they negotiate whatever dollar amount that they want?

A. The lowest legal limit that a bonding company may charge varies from state to state.

Q. What happens if the person I bail out “fails to appear” and the bonding company is unable to find him/her, the “fugitive?”

A. If a bail bonding company is unable to locate the client within a certain period of time from the forfeiture of the bail bond, the bail bonding company will have no other option but to pay the court the full face value of the bond written plus all applicable court and legal fees. The court will charge additional fees on top of the forfeited dollar amount. These rules vary from state to state.

If the bail bonding company is forced to pay the bond amount, plus fees, you, the guarantor of the bond, will be charged for all fees that you have contractually guaranteed.