Commercial Bail Provides Economic Benefits

Commercial bail provides the most effective pretrial release method to ensure accountability of the criminal justice system.  

Commercial bail offers many layers of financial commitments: the insurance company as surety on the bond; a bail agent's contract with the insurance company; the bail agent's own funds with the insurance company; and third-party indemnitors on the bond.

The commercial bail industry also provides economic benefits to the taxpayers.

• Each bond written results in payment of insurance premium taxes back in to state/county coffers
• Economic savings results from lower failure to appear and recidivism rates
• Economic savings results from increased fugitive recovery, which results in over 300,000 apprehensions each year at no taxpayer expense
• Commercial bail is "user-funded" with no financial burden on taxpayers
• Commercial bail carriers employ approximately 15,000 bail agents nationwide with over 10,000 support personnel, all of who pay taxes
• In 2011 alone, insurance carries who write commercial bonds secured the obligation of defendants to appear in court to the tune of $13.6 billion dollars - dollars that otherwise would have been the responsibility of the taxpayers 
• Commercial bail facilitates court operations by maintaining social control over defendants, stressing the importance of appearance in court and reminding defendants of court dates, requiring third-party indemnitors and locating defendants who fail to appear

Bail agents nationwide release from confinement each month an average of 250,000 defendants resulting in a significant impact on jail operational expenses.  

Taxpayer-funded pretrial services programs or other unsecured release methods are not financially or physically responsible for defendants released on these methods.  Only commercial bail is financially and physically responsible for defendants released through a bail agent.

How do you want your limited tax dollars spent?