Post by mandapanda on Oct 30, 2006 1:21:34 GMT -5
A bounty hunter is an individual who seeks out fugitives ("hunting") for a monetary reward ("bounty"), for apprehending by law, if such laws exist.
In the United States legal system, the 1873 U.S. Supreme Court case (Taylor v. Taintor, 16 Wall (83 U.S.) 366, 21 L.Ed. 287) established that the person into whose custody a person accused of a crime is remanded as part of the accused's bail has sweeping rights to recover that person. For this reason, most bounty hunters are employed by a bail bondsman: the bounty hunter is paid a portion of the bail the fugitive initially paid, since if the fugitive successfully eludes bail, the bondsman is responsible for the remainder of their bail, not the bounty hunter.
Thus the bounty hunter is the bail bondsman's way of ensuring his clients arrive at trial. In the United States, bounty hunters catch an estimated 30,000 bail jumpers per year.[citation needed] Bounty hunters are also sometimes known as bail enforcement agents or fugitive recovery agents, which are the preferred industry and polite terms, but in common speech, they are still called "bounty hunters".
In the United States of America, bounty hunters have varying levels of authority in their duties with regard to their targets, depending on the states they operate in. As specified in Taylor v. Taintor, and barring restrictions dictated by the state in which the bounty hunter is operating, a bounty hunter can enter the fugitive's private property without a warrant in order to execute a re-arrest. In some states, bounty hunters do not undergo any formal training, and are generally unlicensed, only requiring sanction from a bail bondsman to operate. In other states, however, they are held to varying standards of training and licensure. In California, bounty hunters must undergo a background check and complete various courses that satisfy the penal code 1299 requirements. In most states they are prohibited from carrying firearms without proper permits. Other states require bounty hunters to wear clothing identifying them as such. In Kentucky, bounty hunting is generally not allowed because the state does not have a system of bail bondsmen, and releases bailed suspects on their own recognizance, thus there is no bondsman with the right to apprehend the fugitive. Generally, only fugitives who have fled bail on federal charges from another state where bounty hunting is legal are allowed to be hunted in Kentucky. In Texas, bounty hunters are required to be a peace officer, Level III (armed) security officer, or a private investigator.
There is always a possibility for a fugitive to make life hard for a bounty hunter by fleeing to states which restrict certain or all parts of the bounty hunter's service.
In the United States legal system, the 1873 U.S. Supreme Court case (Taylor v. Taintor, 16 Wall (83 U.S.) 366, 21 L.Ed. 287) established that the person into whose custody a person accused of a crime is remanded as part of the accused's bail has sweeping rights to recover that person. For this reason, most bounty hunters are employed by a bail bondsman: the bounty hunter is paid a portion of the bail the fugitive initially paid, since if the fugitive successfully eludes bail, the bondsman is responsible for the remainder of their bail, not the bounty hunter.
Thus the bounty hunter is the bail bondsman's way of ensuring his clients arrive at trial. In the United States, bounty hunters catch an estimated 30,000 bail jumpers per year.[citation needed] Bounty hunters are also sometimes known as bail enforcement agents or fugitive recovery agents, which are the preferred industry and polite terms, but in common speech, they are still called "bounty hunters".
In the United States of America, bounty hunters have varying levels of authority in their duties with regard to their targets, depending on the states they operate in. As specified in Taylor v. Taintor, and barring restrictions dictated by the state in which the bounty hunter is operating, a bounty hunter can enter the fugitive's private property without a warrant in order to execute a re-arrest. In some states, bounty hunters do not undergo any formal training, and are generally unlicensed, only requiring sanction from a bail bondsman to operate. In other states, however, they are held to varying standards of training and licensure. In California, bounty hunters must undergo a background check and complete various courses that satisfy the penal code 1299 requirements. In most states they are prohibited from carrying firearms without proper permits. Other states require bounty hunters to wear clothing identifying them as such. In Kentucky, bounty hunting is generally not allowed because the state does not have a system of bail bondsmen, and releases bailed suspects on their own recognizance, thus there is no bondsman with the right to apprehend the fugitive. Generally, only fugitives who have fled bail on federal charges from another state where bounty hunting is legal are allowed to be hunted in Kentucky. In Texas, bounty hunters are required to be a peace officer, Level III (armed) security officer, or a private investigator.
There is always a possibility for a fugitive to make life hard for a bounty hunter by fleeing to states which restrict certain or all parts of the bounty hunter's service.