NCJ Number
109823
Date Published
1987
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This 1986 study of four Federal judicial districts determined the number of defendants released on corporate surety bail bonds prior to trial, the number of these defendants who failed to appear at a court proceeding, the amount of forfeited bail bonds collected, and reasons for any uncollected funds.
Abstract
The analysis of 1,386 sample cases showed that 91 defendants in the four districts were released on corporate surety bail bonds at that 21 failed to appear for a court proceeding (17 from southern Florida and 4 from Arizona). In all cases, the courts ordered that the bonds be revoked. The district court for southern Florida rescinded its revocation orders for six of the defendants either due to appearances 1 day after the order or because they were brought to custody by their bondsmen. The remaining 15 defendants had bail bonds totaling $442,000. A review of the collection records as of February 27, 1987, indicated the Arizona court had collected all of the bail bonds due, but the Florida jurisdiction had collected only 9.7 percent of what was owed. A Florida assistant U.S. attorney reported that a heavy caseload was the reason for inaction in this area. Heavy caseloads are not unique to this district, so the Attorney General should require the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys to determine if other districts are experiencing problems in collecting forfeited surety bail bonds. 2 tables.