Bounty Hunters

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the topic of policing and corrections, with a specific focus on bounty hunters. The writer examines whether bounty hunters have too much power. The paper describes bounty hunters as an effective element of the bail bond process and explains that studies show that bounty hunters help keep non-compliant offenders to a minimum. The paper concludes that bounty hunters indeed have powers ordinary citizens do not enjoy, yet they are a vital part of the criminal justice system.

From the Paper:

"Many studies indicate the importance of bounty hunters in the bail bond system. Author Reynolds notes, "Only 15 percent of felony defendants released on surety bonds initially failed to appear in court versus failure rates of 26 percent for those released on their own recognizance and 42 percent released on unsecured bonds, according to a 1992 Department of Justice study of the seventy-five largest counties" (Reynolds, 2002, p. 120). In addition, only three percent of suspects are fugitives one year of their release to a bondsman, while over 9 percent remain fugitives if they are released on their own recognizance, and 19 percent remain fugitives if they are released without a security bond (Reynolds, 2002, p. 120). Thus, the bonding process ensures more criminals come to trial, and the bounty hunters are a major reason for this success."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Elvin, J. (2000, June 19). The strong-arm of the law. Insight on the News, 16, 22.
• Parenti, C. (1997, January). 'I hunt men': Meet the self-ordained officers of the bail-bond industry. The Progressive, 61, 21+.
• Reynolds, M. (2002). 9 Privatizing probation and parole. In Entrepreneurial economics: Bright ideas from the dismal science, Tabarrok, A. (Ed.) (pp. 117-124). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Rucker, P. (2001, April). My night as a bounty hunter. American Journalism Review, 23, 7.

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