The bail bonds industry doesn't have the greatest reputation. Although, the bail bondsman has a legitimate place in the criminal justice system, many see them as merely people who deal with "criminals" for money.


The bail bonds industry is now under siege from the governments of 2 states. Gaining popular support is tough enough, but having to battle the state and local government for the long term health and survival of the bail bonds industry is another.

While in Conneticut, a new bill working its way through the state legislature would implement dramatic reforms to the way bail bondsmen are regulated.


The bill which is in the house would expand licensing and operating requirements for bail bondsmen and increase the regulatory power of the state insurance department. The bill even goes as far as to restrict a bail bondsman from actively getting clients at police stations and courthouses.


To make matters worse, some judges in CT have been allowing defendants to pay 10% of the bail amount directly to the court to secure their release rather than the full bail amount. In essence, the court started to compete directly with the bail bondsmen.


In Florida, a new measure has brewed up a firestorm. The measure would revokes a county's ability to charge a fee, with exceptions for court-ordered GPS monitoring and rehabilitation programs. In addition, it would eliminate pretrial release programs operated in several Florida counties by limiting eligibility only to indigent, nonviolent defendants.


So what does this mean for a Las Vegas bail bondsman? It means, even though the bail bonds industry is very old and established, it is not immune to poltiical wrangling and over zealous regulatory impediments. If the bail bondsmen in Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada are not careful, they too might come under siege from regulators and politicians.