The common practice of bail in our court system originates from English common law. Bail is providing the court collateral or money to guarantee the suspect will appear in court for the trial. When the suspect is unable to provide the money for bail the next step is to contact a bail bondsman. At this point the bondsman collateral is used for the bond and will collect a service fee for the loan.
It is estimated that approximately 10-25% of all suspects fail to show up on their court date. This means they have jumped, or skipped bail. The day of the trial the bond is to be paid. The bondsman will pay the bond for the suspect weather or not the suspect shows up for the intended court date. The bond is said to be in default. A part of skipping bail the suspect must willingly avoid the court date. If failure to appear in court was found to be unavoidable or unintentional, and due to circumstances beyond their control the bond will not default.
After a defendant has bailed on bail, the bail bondsman will likely hire a bounty hunter. The laws vary state to state, but generally a bounty hunter is not restricted by state lines, they can enter private property with out a warranty, nor do they have to read Miranda rights. Bounty hunters are restricted to the US borders. They are not allowed to search for a defendant internationally.
If you have jumped bail, you should contact a lawyer immediately. Jumping bail can be a felony depending on your state. Remember to live life and leave the legal stuff to us!