Photo: ©Clara Vannucci, NYC – Baltimore, 2012-2014, courtesy of Fabrica
In the United States, a person who has been arrested is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The burden of proof is on the prosecution; they must provide compelling evidence that shows the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. In the interim, the accused may be entitled to release from jail if granted bail by the court. It is here that the bail bondsman finds work. The bail bondsmen have a standing security agreement with local court official, in which the post an irrevocable bond for the defendant to appear in court. If they fail to do so, the bondsman can legally become a bounty hunter for the state and deliver fugitives to the jurisdiction of the court to recover the money paid under the bond. Bondsmen generally charge a fee of 10% for a state charge, and 15% for a federal bond.
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The practice of bounty hunting is illegal in most countries, but in the United States it is as homegrown as the Second Amendment. The presumption of innocence protects everyone, including criminals who might take advantage of the opportunity to run. In Band Bond (Fabrica), Italian photographer Clara Vannucci goes inside the New York City system, working alongside the bondsmen themselves, traveling through Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan—even crossing state lines to track a fugitive to Baltimore, Maryland.
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Photo: ©Clara Vannucci, NYC – Baltimore, 2012-2014, courtesy of Fabrica