What is a Bounty Hunter?

If you’re looking to learn more about the ins and outs of Bounty Hunting you should start with the term Bounty.  Bounty simply means a reward of money offered for finding a criminal or other wanted persons, or for killing a person or a predator.  In every Bounty Hunting scenario, however, the goals are to keep the assailant safe and use deadly force as a last resort.  As you read further you will learn that each state has different laws and regulations about what a Bounty Hunter—also known as a Fugitive Recovery or Bail Enforcement Agent—is legally allowed to do and not to do while pursuing a fugitive.

A bail bond company usually caters exclusively to criminal defendants.  A bond is set according to the severity of the crime to release the defendant until their expected appearance in court. Generally the bail bond company is a private business that takes responsibility for a percentage of the bond, typically ten percent.  At this time these bond companies are responsible for full payment of the bond if the defendant fails to show up for their court date or is not surrendered in seventy-five days.

In walks the Bounty Hunter.  This agent or group of agents is hired to hunt, or more simply put, find criminals or fugitives of the law who skipped bond by not appearing in court.  It should always be a top priority of the Bounty Hunter to capture these criminals as efficiently and safely as possible.  With that in mind it is important to know the ins and outs of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice practices.

Bounty Hunting: In Other Words

To recap, or put it into other words, Bounty Hunting primarily involves skip tracing and apprehending bail fugitives for a reward from a bail bondsman.  Before a defendant has been charged with failure to appear in court, the defendant (soon to be fugitive) signed a bail bond agreement and gave a deposit--on average ten percent--and the bail bondsman then pays the difference for the release of the defendant until the court date.  If the subject fails to attend the court date the bail bonds company will then contract a Bail Enforcement Agent, also known as a Bounty Hunter or Fugitive Recovery Agent.  The agent is assigned to the case to skip trace, make an arrest, and return the defendant to the justice system.

Bail Recovery takes persistence, determination, and qualified bail enforcement training.  Training to become a bounty hunter involves bail enforcement law, bail enforcement state laws, types of fugitive recovery services, locating bail clients, finding wanted peoples, history of bail, marketing and advertising of bail bond and fugitive recovery services, local and federal bounty hunting laws, and most importantly Criminal Justice Training and Education.  With a criminal justice background, Bounty Hunters, or Fugitive Recovery Agents learn criminal behavior, crime scene analysis, fugitive recovery tactics, law enforcement practices, and most importantly, begin a path towards a prosperous career.

Along your journey to becoming a Fugitive Recovery Agent, you will find schools and training centers to teach you about Bounty Hunting. The bottom line is that the most effective way to becoming a successful Bounty Hunter with additional career options in related fields is to have a background in Criminal Justice.  

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