| Larimer County and Jefferson County in the Denver | | | | release through private bond agents are 28 percent |
| Metro have decided that they are better at bail bonds | | | | less likely to fail to appear before court than when |
| than bondsmen/ladies. | | | | freed on their own recognizance. When defendants |
| It has been substantiated that judges are giving | | | | fail to appear before the courts and remain at large |
| defendants cash bonds instead of the normal choice | | | | for more than a year, private bond agents seem to be |
| of a surety (bail) bond, cash bond or property bond. A | | | | more effective at catching these fugitives than public |
| cash bond opts out the traditional bail agent in lieu of | | | | law enforcement: Those released through the |
| the defendant's family or friends coming up with the | | | | assistance of private bond agents have a fugitive rate |
| cash bail. This can sometimes be a problem and keep | | | | that is 53 percent lower than the fugitive rates of |
| the defendant incarcerated longer than normal, at the | | | | those released on their own recognizance. |
| tax payer's expense. Other problems that occur are | | | | Instead of obtaining release through the assistance of |
| that the failure to appear rates skyrockets. This has | | | | private bond agents, an enormous infusion of Byrne |
| been proven by past studies. | | | | JAG funding, as proposed by Congress, will likely lead |
| The Private Sector Does it Better | | | | to more criminals being released on their own |
| Private bail bond insurers provide important services to | | | | recognizance. This, in turn, will most assuredly result in |
| defendants and society at no cost to taxpayers. In | | | | more criminals failing to appear before court and |
| exchange for a fee, private bond agents secure the | | | | becoming fugitives from justice |
| release of defendants from jails while the accused | | | | *Eric Helland and Alexander Tabarrok, "The Fugitive: |
| await trail. Compared to other types of pre-trial | | | | Evidence on Public Versus Private Law Enforcement |
| release, research indicates that private bond agents | | | | From Bail Jumping," Journal of Law and Economics, |
| are more effective at ensuring defendants make their | | | | Vol. XLVII (April 2004), pp. 93-122. |
| court appearances.[*] Individuals who obtain their | | | | |