I keep reading about “bail reform” in different states across this country. So I wanted to let everyone, who takes the time to read this, know exactly what bail bondsmen ACTUALLY do.
Firstly, PEOPLE ARE NOT IN JAIL BECAUSE THEY ARE POOR!! People are arrested when there is “probable cause” that the person MAY HAVE committed a crime. When police investigate crimes, a person’s financial status IS NOT CONSIDERED IN ANY WAY. Bail bondsmen do NOT set bail amounts. So, all these extremely high bail amounts for minor offenses have nothing at all to do with bail bondsmen. Most bail bondsmen work out payment plans in order to help people. Other times, the friends or family of the inmate DO NOT WANT THEM OUT OF JAIL for whatever reason. I know bail bondsmen all over this country, and most of us are GREAT people.
WE are the FIRST responders when someone is arrested. We see people at their worst usually. They’ve been arrested and are coming out of jail. It doesn’t matter what time it is. When my phone rings, and I have a mother on the phone crying and scared because she’s never been through this – my job begins. I explain how the process works to her and try to ease her mind some. I meet her – and sometimes the entire family – at the jail, whether it’s 2 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning. The mother is asking me all kinds of questions, and also explaining her son’s entire life history to me sometimes. Sometimes, a person just needs someone to listen – which is just one of my many jobs. While mom and I are talking, I tell her about different resources – whether its anger management classes, or drug rehabs, or church groups, or just different experiences I’ve had in my own life. So, once her son – my client – is released, I meet him and talk to him. Whatever he wants to talk about. Again, sometimes listening means a lot. I explain to him what could happen if he doesn’t show up in court. Sometimes, a week or two later, the family calls me because they have another question – and of course, I answer it as best as I can. My job doesn’t stop once I bond someone out of jail. I have to – and WANT TO – be there for them as long as they need me. And that’s just ONE client.
On a different note, if we bond someone out of jail, and they start breaking the law again, we can revoke the bond and put them back in jail. We don’t just send a violation to the judge who sends a warrant to an already overworked police force.
Pretrial services sounds great to the average person. However, when a person is placed on pretrial services, they have to take time off work whether the boss wants them to or not. Pretrial services is extremely expensive to every tax payer out here. Millions and millions of YOUR dollars being spent to “monitor” people who haven’t been convicted of anything. It’s also NOT TRUE, they reduce recidivism. I bond people out a few times a week for a “pretrial violation” and they haven’t been convicted of the original charge yet. Pretrial services sets people up to fail, in my opinion. They are an expensive 3rd party that serves very little purpose.
Being a bail bondsmen IS NOT just about making money. Of course, we make a living doing this. However, every person who does a job does it with the intention of making a living. But WE ARE NOT the way the media or television portrays us. Bail bondsmen are small business owners. We employ people. We pay taxes. We guarantee people show up to court – and if they don’t show up to court – we go find them, no matter where they are, at no cost to taxpayers. More importantly, than any of that – WE HELP PEOPLE. I, personally, have paid people’s rent so they didn’t lose their home. I have purchased so many cases of diapers for moms and grandmothers who’s on a fixed income and can’t buy them. I’ve purchased Easter AND Christmas presents for one of my client’s family’s because they were struggling to put food on the table, so to give the kids some “normality” in their life. I replaced a kids used Air Jordan shoes, with brand new ones, after they were stolen from him. I’ve paid off a guys court fines to help him get his drivers license so he could drive to work without getting arrested for driving. I have purchased ALL the school supplies for ALL OF THE CHILDREN IN TWO women’s shelters. I gave a 3 yr old little girl $82.00 back, that someone who broke into her family’s house stole from her. I paid all of the elementary school lunch accounts that were behind – 52 kids lunch accounts were behind. I paid all 52 accounts off and added 5 days of lunch for each child.
These are just some of the things I personally have done. All at no cost to anyone else. I do these things because I care about genuinely helping people. I know how fortunate and lucky I am to be able to do these things. I’m not saying any of this to “brag” or anything negative. I want people to know these things now because I think it’s time to shine a positive light on the bail bond industry. I challenge all my friends to tell us all something positive you’ve done as a bail bondsmen!!!