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Bond
What is a Bond?
A bond is a written, binding
agreement to perform as specified. Many types of bonds have existed for
centuries and appear in marriage, land and
court records used by
genealogists. Historically, laws required administrators and executors
of estates, grooms alone or with others, and
guardians of minors to post
bonds. It is not unusual to discover that a bondsman was related to
someone involved in the action before the court. If a bondsman failed to
perform, the court may have demanded payment of a specified sum as a
penalty.
Bail
Bondsman
A bail bond agent, or
bondsman, is any person or corporation that will act as a surety and
pledge money or property as bail for the appearance of a
criminal
defendant in court.
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Although banks, insurance
companies and other similar institutions are usually the sureties on
other types of contracts (for example, to bond a contractor who is under
a contractual obligation to pay for the completion of a construction
project) such entities are reluctant to put their depositors' or
policyholders' funds at the kind of risk involved in posting a bail
bond. Bail bond agents are usually in the business
to cater to criminal defendants, often securing their release in just a
few hours. |
Bail bond agents are almost
exclusively found in the United States. In most other countries, bail is
usually more modest and the practice of
bounty hunting is illegal. |
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