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Article published Jan 3, 2007
Bail bondsmen helps lobby court for changes
By Eric J.S. Townsend
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO — Nearly two dozen bail bondsmen have launched the Mid State Bail Association, a group dedicated, in part, to lobbying Guilford County court officials for standardizing the bond amounts set for jailed inmates.
The association also wants to pressure the state to raise standards for receiving a license to bond inmates from jail. Or, at the very least, to prevent what they say is the erosion of standards.
"We don't have police powers per se," said Skip Dalton, president of the association. "But we do have the power to kick in doors and the power to cross state lines to apprehend people, and power to use whatever force necessary to render someone under arrest."
The group said the state Department of Insurance no longer interviews or runs background checks on people who apply for a license.
The insurance department disputes that assertion.
"We do not interview each applicant initially because we rely on the background check through the SBI to show any red flags," department spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson wrote in an e-mailed response. "If we find something in that screening process to disqualify a candidate, the candidate does have the ability to request that we review the denial; at that point, an in-person interview is done."
Bond agents promise to pay anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars if clients released from jail decide to skip their trial. That money eventually goes to support public schools.
In exchange for the bond agents' promise, inmates pay cash up front to bondsmen, as much as 15 percent of the bond amount.
Such a business can be risky when the inmates sprung from jail disappear. The bail association claims that tracking down people who skip appearances costs more than what is made by fees they collect.
Bond amounts are initially set by magistrates. Judges can reduce or raise amounts during a first court appearance, which typically occurs the next business day following an arrest.
"The magistrates will do what the judges tell them to do," Dalton said. "But the guidelines have gotten more relaxed each year."
The group admits it makes sense from a financial standpoint to lobby for higher bond amounts, thus generating more profit from fees the agents charge customers. But the group also says high bond amounts guarantee attendance at court hearings.
"You would be surprised at the resources people can pull to get out of jail," said Dawn Haith, a former Guilford magistrate now working in the bail bond industry. Protecting those resources is one reason a defendant wants to show in court, not to mention the hunt that ensues for those who skip.
"When you have a bigger bond, a bondsman is going to jump very quickly to start the process of apprehending the person," she said . "And they know there are going to be several people looking for them."
Contact Eric J.S. Townsend at 373-7008 or
etownsend@news-record.com
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