They stay in business by making sure their clients make it to their court date, or by at least knowing the whereabouts of the clients so that they, or a bounty

They stay in business by making sure their clients make it to their court date, or by at least knowing the whereabouts of the clients so that they, or a bounty hunter (that the bondsman would hire), or the police can take them into custody. They can also go after bail jumpers in civil court (place liens on property). The OP article mentions a peculiarity of the economics of the business in that many bondsmen won't touch small bail amounts because there isn't enough profit in it for the risk. So, it has the effect that people sometimes sit in jail for very low level offenses while people charged with more serious crimes get bonded out. >So how are they allowed to stay in business if just one person they bailed out fails to appear in court? The bondsman has to go and get their client and turn them in, or reimburse the amount of the bail. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/bail-bond-companies-work-4645.html http://smallbusiness.chron.com/bail-bond-companies-work-4645...