What Are The Qualifications For Bounty Hunters In California? As Required in Chapter 166, Statutes of 2004, Assemblymember Spitzer
Marcus Nieto, Peter Lewicki and Paul Lewicki (CRB-07-010, November, 2007)
The image of a "bounty hunter" bringing to justice a runaway fugitive is often glorified in the media and by the movie industry. Bounty hunters are depicted as "maverick" law enforcers who operate on the fringe of the criminal justice system to capture the most wanted criminals, in exchange for a reward. However critics maintain that loose state regulations foster abuse by bounty hunters, allowing them to act more like the outlaws they pursue than law enforcers. Why do bounty hunters have such broad authority to operate? What are their qualifications? What is their relationship to the American criminal justice system? How do they operate in California and what is the impact of the recently enacted Bail Fugitive Recovery Persons Act? These are the issues considered in this report, which was mandated by AB 2238 (Chapter 166, Statutes of 2004), authored by Assemblymember Spitzer.
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