Bounty Hunter

Bounty Hunting in the United States

Bounty Hunting in the U.S.

Bounty hunting is an important part of the American justice system. Although illegal in most countries of the world, bounty hunting is still a practice that occurs in the United States. Almost anyone can be a bounty hunter. It is a dangerous and difficult job, but the rewards are usually great. Before becoming a bounty hunter, however, take a moment to look at the laws surrounding this practice.

What are Bounty Hunters?

The simply definition of a bounty hunter is someone who tracks down and captures fugitives in exchange for a fee (the “bounty”). Bounty hunters sometimes are called bail agents, bail officers, or fugitive recovery officers. They are not affiliated with the government or police, but are rather private citizens looking to make money by tracking down criminals.

Bounty Hunters employment

Bounty hunters are most commonly employed by bail bondsman. A bail bondsman is the person who puts up collateral during a court case so that the accused doesn’t have to remain in jail while awaiting trial. If the accused then flees instead of showing up in court, the bail bondsman has to pay the complete amount of the bail, and the money will go to tracking down the fugitive once again. The more high-profile the case, the more horrible the crime, and the more the criminal is likely to flee, the higher the bail will be set. Although on small matters bail may only be a few hundred dollars, in large cases, the bail may be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Therefore, it is in the bondsman’s best interest to find the fugitive before the bail is due. A bounty hunter does just that, usually for a percentage of the total bail money. They sign a contract in order to attempt to find the fugitive. However, it is important to note that a bounty hunter’s services are never guaranteed. Some people simply cannot be found, especially if they’ve managed, somehow, to leave the country. If the fugitive cannot be found, it is still the bail bondsman’s responsibility to pay the full bail amount.

The laws surrounding bounty hunting vary from state to state. In many cases, a bounty hunter doesn’t need any formal training or licensing. They simply need a sanction from a bail bondsman. In other states, bounty hunters must undergo training or background checks. Some states even require the bounty hunter to be licensed as a peace officer, security officer, or private investigator. A few states have outlawed bounty hunter altogether, unless the fugitive has fled charges in another state. In short, before becoming a bounty hunter, learn the hunting laws in your state and in the surrounding states.

Bounty hunting is both physically and legally dangerous. There are no protections for injuries caused by bounty hunters, and mistaking someone for your mark could put you in tons of trouble. In addition, following a fugitive to Canada or Mexico and apprehending him or her there could lead to charges of kidnapping, as these countries do not legalize bounty hunting. While there can be big payoffs, there are also big risks. Make sure you’re ready for these responsibilities before agreeing to track down a fugitive.

From the BBC

Bounty hunters are generally called in by bail bondsmen when someone fails to turn up for court.

A bondsman may guarantee the bail for a suspect for about 10% of the set amount.

So an accused person may pay $1,000 to get a $10,000 bail, for instance, but if he then does not turn up at court, the bondsman has to pay the full $10,000 – making it worth while to call in a bounty hunter.

Once asked to find a fugitive, bounty hunters have sweeping powers granted to them in the 19th Century by the US Supreme Court.

The 1873 decision declares: “Whenever bondsmen choose to do so, they may seize the defendant and deliver him up in their discharge, and if that cannot be done at once, they may imprison him until it can be done.

“They may exercise their rights in person or by agent. They may pursue him into another state; may arrest him on the Sabbath; and if necessary, may break and enter his house for that purpose.”

Some states are bringing in their own laws to further regulate bounty hunting which attracts stiff criticism when mistakes are made – such as the case of a 42-year-old mother-of-four kidnapped from New York, held in a succession of cells and then driven more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) to Alabama.

When it was realised that she was not the wanted fugitive, Jrae Mason was given $24 for a bus ticket back to New York. A jury later awarded her more than $1m.

Other innocent victims do not get such a chance, with fatal shootings by people claiming to be bounty hunters in Virginia, Arizona and Missouri.

But the hunters themselves insist they do an important job, claiming to capture about 90% of the more than 35,000 people who jump bail each year in the US – saving law enforcement agencies time and money.

See also

False arrest
Skiptrace
Thief-taker
Marshals
Service Fugitive Programs

Resources

See Also

  • Legal Topics.
  • Further Reading (Articles)

    Bounty-hunters.(efforts to reform bounty hunting)(Brief Article), The Economist (US); June 19, 1999

    BOUNTY HUNTERS SAY THEY PROVIDE NEEDED SERVICE BAIL AGENTS CLAIM THEY HISTORICALLY HAVE MORE AUTHORITY TO APPREHEND FUGITIVES THAN DO POLICE.(Local), Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO); September 28, 1997; O’Keeffe, Michael

    BOUNTY HUNTER NIGHTMARE, The Columbian (Vancouver, WA); September 12, 1997; JOHN BRANTON

    International Bounty Hunter Ride-Along: Should U.K. Thrill Seekers Be Permitted to Pay to Experience a Week in the Life of a U.S. Bounty Hunter?, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law; May 1, 2002; Porcello, Ryan M.

    Bounty hunters rely on quick wits to catch fugitives.(The Gazette), Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; October 24, 2003; Hethcock, Bill

    Bounty Hunters Search for ‘Skips’ by Paperwork, Hitting Pavement., Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News; August 13, 2003

    BOUNTY HUNTERS: THE PEOPLE WHO TRACK DOWN BAIL JUMBERS ARE UNREGULATED, BUT A GROUP OF LAWMAKERS WANTS TO ESTABLISH SOME LIMITS.(LOCAL), The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); March 9, 2000; Hopkins, John

    Bounty hunters get ’em, St. Joseph News-Press; August 4, 2001; JULIE BELSCHNER

    Bounty Hunters Oppose Proposed Regulations in Kansas City, Mo., Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News; October 5, 2002

    Bounty Hunter Responsibility Act Introduced in House by Rep. Andrews, US Fed News Service, Including US State News; October 5, 2006

    Bounty Hunter Restrictions Weighed, AP Online; March 31, 2000; JANELLE CARTER, Associated Press Writer

    Dangerous Duty/ Bounty hunters risk lives to track down suspects, criminals in Pikes Peak region, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO); October 12, 2003; BILL HETHCOCK THE GAZETTE

    Bounty hunters at wrong home kill 2, Chicago Sun-Times; September 2, 1997

    Bounty hunters unregulated., Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK); September 4, 2006

    Running from the Law: Should Bounty Hunters Be Considered State Actors and Thus Subject to Constitutional Restraints?, Vanderbilt Law Review; January 1, 1999; Patrick, Andrew DeForest

    MINUTEMAN CLUB LOOKING FOR BOUNTY HUNTERS, NEW MEMBERS, US Fed News Service, Including US State News; November 21, 2010

    Deadly shootout brings crackdown on Arizona bounty hunters, AP Online; June 19, 1998; JERRY NACHTIGAL Associated Press Writer

    IT’S TIME TO CRACK DOWN ON BOUNTY HUNTERS, The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY); April 14, 1998

    BOUNTY HUNTERS CHASE PREY WITH LITTLE OVERSIGHT, The Columbian (Vancouver, WA); May 14, 2001; ERIN MIDDLEWOOD, Columbian staff writer

    Bismarck, N.D., Bounty Hunter Offers Class., Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News; December 21, 2002


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