Bounty hunters: a look behind the hype

Purpose - To identify and assess the current state of professionalism and operations in the field of bail recovery, or bounty hunting. Design/methodology/approach - A multi-method approach, which integrated information from interviews with bond agents with information taken from a survey of workers in the bond field. Findings - Survey respondents averaged 51 years of age, and were mostly Caucasian males. Most were religious and conservative, and over 25 percent reported having obtained a four-year college degree. Roughly one-third of all survey respondents reported experience in law enforcement; nearly half indicated having specialized skills in weaponry. Money was the most cited reason for becoming a bail enforcement agent, and most respondents believed that bail enforcement agents are an under-appreciated component of the criminal justice system. Research limitations/implications - These findings were taken from a small number of survey respondents. Consequently, these data are not assumed to be representative of the population surveyed. Additionally, the interviews with key individuals in the field are also not assumed to be representative. Practical implications - This research has shown that bond agents are not yet professionalized, but a substantial number of them desire greater professionalism in their field, and believe that more professional behavior is necessary to receive greater respect from their fellow criminal justice practitioners. Originality/value - Very little is known about the operations and attitudes of bond agents. This research has added some critical information to this knowledge base, and has helped to raise other questions which may stimulate further research in this under-examined field.