Bail bondsman Columbus is the agent that provides bail for the accused persons. Bondsmen may build relationships with police officers and jailers to obtain referrals. Many defendants may not know whom to call for help in making bail, and officers can steer them to a particular bondsman. This can lead to corruption if a bondsman pays a jailer or police officer to make such referrals. Moreover, these relationships can lead to improper cooperation, such as a bondsman refusing to help a particular defendant if the police would like to see that defendant remain in jail. The role of the bondsman poses other ethical questions as well. Is it proper for a private, profit-seeking businessperson to decide who will gain pretrial release and to profit from a person who is €presumed innocent€ but is threatened with the loss of his or her freedom? If charges arc dropped or a defendant is acquitted, the bondsman still keeps the fee that was paid to make bail. This can be especially costly to poor defendants. Although judges set the bail amount, the bondsmen often actually decide whether certain defendants will gain pretrial release.

Despite the problems posed by their role, bondsmen may benefit the criminal justice system. Although bondsmen act in their own interest, they contribute to the smooth processing of cases. For example, defendants who fail to appear for scheduled court appearances often do so because of forgetfulness and confusion about when and where they must appear. Courthouses in large cities are huge bureaucracies in which changes in the times and locations of hearings are not always communicated to defendants. Bondsmen can help by reminding defendants about court dates, calling defendants' relatives to make sure that the defendant will arrive on time, and warning defendants about the penalties for failing to appear.

Bail bondsman Columbus or bail enforcement agents hired by bondsmen find many of the defendants who have skipped out on bail. These independent operators have caused many problems. In highly publicized cases, bounty hunters have broken into the wrong homes, kidnapped innocent people mistaken for wanted criminals, and even shot and killed innocent bystanders. Bounty hunters' disregard for people's rights and public safety has led to calls for new laws to regulate the activities of bondsmen and the people they hire to hunt for fugitives. The justice system may benefit in some ways from the activities of bondsmen. It is important to find the best bail bondsman who provides services at reasonable fees. However, court and law enforcement officials could provide the same benefits as well or better if they had the resources, time, and interest to make sure that released defendants return to court. If all courts had pretrial services offices such as those in the federal courts, defendants could be monitored and reminded to return to court without the risks of discrimination and corruption associated with the use of bail bondsmen.