Function

• Bail bond agents bail suspected criminals out of jail. If their client does not reappear in court, the agent may use a bounty hunter to find the defendant and recover the agent's money paid to the court.
  
  

History

• In 1898 in San Francisco, Tom and Peter McDonough established the first American bail bond business.
  
  

Legal

• Commercial bail bonding has been banned in Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky and Oregon.
  
  

Fees

• Bail bond agents usually charge their clients 10 percent of the total bail required by the court. This fee is nonrefundable.
  
  

Fun Fact

• Some organizations offer its members bail bonding service, such as AAA (American Automobile Association).