How do bounty hunters make income???

Question

Just flippin through channels and saw "Dog" and this question popped in my head. When people need to make bond they go to a bail bondsman. Say the bail is set at 15,000 and then the bad guy dips out. The bondsman only gets that 15,000 back if they return the convict. But if they do return him and get that 15,000 back, then they are back at break even. How do they make profit?

Answer 1

Ok, if you go to a bondmens, and need a 15000 bond, you pay the bondmen 1500 to 2000 for this servivce, The bondmen never actually gives the court any money, what they give them is a paper saying they will pay, no real money transfer.

So if the person does not show up, the court will give the bailsmen so many weeks or months to bring the person back.
If they don't find them, the bailsmen has to pay the money out, thus losing money.

So for Dog, he is the bounty hunter and the bondsmen also,

But for the normal bounty hunter, they are paid a fee by the bondmen for getting the person and bringing them back,
On the 15000 bond, they may offer 750 to the bounty hunter to brng the person back, maybe 1000 dollar.

So it is not a matter of getting the bond back, since the bailsbondmens does not actually ever pay it, unless the person never shows up.

The bail bondmens makes his profit, off of all the 100's of people who always show up and pays thier money for the bond ( they don't get that fee back of course for getting a bond)

Answer 2

The peerson making bond also must pay in advance the bondsman a fee. It's usually 10 to 20% of the bond. with a minium of 500 dollars.

If they bond you out for 15,000 you must pay them at least up front what ever their fee is. If you skip court than the bondsman has so long to get you in court or else he must than come up the 15,000.
If he can get you to come in or can't locate you he can offer a bounty or reward to someone who brings you in. this is usually at least 25% of large bonds and up to 50% or more on smaller bonds like the15,000 bond.
It's like losing 50% of 15,000 is better than losing 100% of it all.

The bounty hunter must pay all of his expenses, and if he doesn't produce he is out. He oe she may travel all over the country, spending large sums on air travel, motels ect. seeking someone who may than turn him/herself in and save the bondsman the fee a bounty hunter would recieve.
But bounty hunters do all sort sof other jobs you rarely hear of. There wa sone case where they went to Iran and snatched a young american girl and returned her to her mother in america. The father had taken her to Iran breaking visitation rights, and she was in bondage there. The mother paid them a heafty sum for the job but had they been caught it likely would have been life or execution for them.

So the bondsman make shis profit by charging them up fornmt for his services.

The bounty hunter makes his by charging a percentage of the bail money they save the bondsman if they are successful. If they are not successful they get nothing.

Answer 3

using your example the alleged convict meets with the bondsman. generally the convict will have to come up with a percentage of the bail on that much .. say for example they have to come up with 500 dollars and the bondsman covers the rest.

If convict then skips out, the bondsman as you know is stuck for 14,500 dollars.. so bondsman hires bounty hunter for say 20% of the balance .. around 3k in this case to track them down.

Answer 4

Bounty hunters make most of their profit from doing this for a living. They collect anywhere from 20% to 50% of the actual bond. Depending on how big the bond is; depends on what their profit is.

Answer 5

From the bail bondsman who they work for.

Answer 6

Because when they pony up bail they charge you to do it, and keep the fee... usually 10% of the actual bail. If you're bail's set at $10,000, you or your long suffering parents or spouse have to give the bond guy a grand to get him to pony up... :)

Answer 7

they hunt bounty and get paid for the body dead or alive