Category: Blogs

Attorneys understand the importance of monitoring their clients out on bail and in many cases, consent to a GPS monitor as an additional method of accountability. GPS ankle monitors have been the go-to solution for years but there is now a more technologically advanced, secure and more comfortable to wear alternative available in the form of GPS wrist wearables like the ActiveTrack smartwatch.

Supervisors benefit from direct interaction with their clients and rehabilitation becomes more efficient because of the flexible, secure, and versatile device. The smartwatch features can also be customized by the supervisor to meet the needs of their clients on a case-by-case basis.

The ActiveTrack smartwatch is a highly secure and reliable GPS wrist wearable that offers several benefits over traditional ankle monitors. Its advanced security features, convenient access to secure information, efficient monitoring, and reliability make it an excellent choice for attorneys seeking better client-monitoring solutions.

The ActiveTrack smartwatch allows for remote monitoring of GPS location, providing instant access to offenders’ location and GPS coordinates. This feature allows supervisors to monitor offenders in real-time and ensure their compliance improving their rehabilitation experience and reducing recidivism.

GPS Wrist Wearable Features

• Lightweight and secure design
• Embedded data for added security
• Long battery life of 48 hours
• LED screen for easy visibility
• Automatic communication alerts to stay connected
• Automatic violation notifications for added safety

Using a wrist wearable device, agencies and supervisors can communicate, access secure data, set reminders, get in touch right away in the event of infractions, and send encouraging communications to aid in rehabilitating the offender wearing the device.

GPS Wrist Wearable Benefits

• Real-time violation alerts
• Continual monitoring of offenders
• Cost-efficient and reduced incarceration rates
• Instant access to GPS coordinates of offenders
• More flexible and customizable than traditional ankle monitors

Both supervisors and defendants benefit from this discreet alternative to ankle monitors.

Contact us today to learn more about how the ActiveTrack smartwatch can benefit your clients and your practice.

Fulton County is one of the first counties in metro Atlanta to enable e-bond, an electronic process that executes bail bonds completely online. At our Atlanta office, the A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds team demonstrated how our digital processes already align with this new e-bonds platform.

E-bonds is part of Sheriff Pat Labat’s proactive approach to more efficiently managing Fulton County’s law enforcement operations. With e-bonds, bond applications are processed 100% online without the requirement of visiting a bail bond office. By effectively fast-tracking defendants’ release from jail, e-bonds saves time for jail staff as well as defendants and their families.

We’re excited to work with Sheriff Labat, whose pioneering leadership is changing the way jail and bail are handled in Fulton County.

Trust is the basis for almost all relationships, and the linkage between attorneys and bail bonding companies is no different. Taking time to forge relationships with reputable bail bondsmen can help your clients and your business.

For defendants, a referral from a reputable source such as an attorney allows the defendant to take advantage of a trusted relationship that already exists. Being able to name your attorney and explain that you are calling at the lawyer’s suggestion can often secure the involvement of a reputable bail bonds company faster than sending a cold inquiry from their website.

Clients Benefit When Attorneys Leverage Their Relationships

For example, a recently charged individual was looking at serious charges in Dekalb County and was unable to find a bonding company that would agree to work with him. The seriousness of the pending charges, along with his prior criminal history, were factors driving the bail bond companies’ rejections.

However, the situation started looking up for the defendant when he engaged his attorney in the search. The attorney had a good relationship and a positive track record with a reputable bail bonds company that the defendant was able to leverage on his own behalf. Once the attorney vouched for his client, the bail bond company agreed to work with the client, bail was satisfied and the defendant was released.

In addition to the attorney and bail bonds company relationship helping clients at the time charges are filed, that familiarity can be advantageous for the defendant who fails to appear in court on the appointed day. In many cases, the defendant’s failure to appear triggers the court to issue a bench warrant for the client’s immediate arrest.

Sometimes, however, there is nothing nefarious behind the missed court date. During the recent pandemic, many people were forced to relocate, sometimes across state lines, to gain employment. Weeks of mail-related delays can make it doubtful that a relocated defendant would receive the legal notice in time to make the assigned court date. In a case like this, the defendant’s attorney and a representative from the bail bonding company can work together to explain the missed court date as a relocation-related error, track down the defendant and work with the court to reschedule the defendant’s attendance. For everyone involved, that outcome is preferred over the defendant being jailed.

Out-of-State Defendants May Have Additional Hurdles

Out-of-state defendants often face requirements that can make securing a bail bond more difficult. Most bail bonding companies require a collateralized asset from an out-of-state defendant before they agree to write the bond, effectively taking the bond off the table for many defendants. For clients with an attorney who has built that relationship with a reputable bail bonding company, the attorney can sometimes negotiate with the bonding company to reduce the value of the required collateralized asset or drop the requirement entirely.

It’s true in all phases of life, a personal recommendation can get things done faster and more efficiently. Defendants can rely on attorneys who have taken the time to build trusted working relationships that help create an overall positive bonding experience.

When COVID-19 hit, the courts shut down to minimize the spread of the virus. As the risk began to fade, the courts resumed a scaled-down operation, adjudicating those proceedings that could be handled via video conferencing.

Post-COVID, metro area courts are fully functioning again. However, a significant amount of cases await a system of already jammed dockets. Today, every effort is being made to expedite legal proceedings and shrink the pending caseload.

This lofty end goal is in jeopardy, however, as unprecedented Failure to Appear (FTA) rates plague every jurisdiction in the metro area. FTA is always a concern when there is a lag time between when defendants are charged and when they go to court but the longer the process takes, the higher the FTA risk.

However, the two-year lag many defendants experienced during COVID was unprecedented just as the FTA rate is now. While the courts were shut down, many defendants lost their jobs and relocated to find work. Others moved out of state when they could not pay for housing and almost no one, it seemed, thought to share their new addresses with the bail bond companies responsible for the freedom. Now, bench warrants are being issued to bring in the defendants who missed their court dates.

A 2nd Chance has worked to keep its defendant FTA rate low through a series of proactive systems and processes. For example, A 2nd Chance uses a comprehensive defendant tracking and communications system developed in-house to manage defendants’ personal information and legal calendars. In addition, A 2nd Chance maintains a dedicated defendant-following staff, who diligently make hundreds of calls and sends hundreds of texts each week to remind defendants of their pending court dates.

FTA rates can be a daunting management challenge. However, taking a proactive approach and helping defendants stay abreast of court dates helps the courts by minimizing the need to reschedule proceedings and issue bench warrants for those who are in absentia on the appointed day. Most of all, being ahead of the game allows defendants to conclude their legal business in a timely way and return to living their lives.

Job Description: Bondsman

Opportunity: A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds is looking for an energetic, self-directed individual that relishes the opportunity to help others and give back to the community in which they live.

Join our family: We have been around for 15 years and have 36 high-functioning team members on staff right now. We are protective of our culture and want to make sure whoever we welcome to the family is a match to our core values: Respect, Teamwork, Honesty, Giving Back and Professionalism (usually :)

Skills we need you to possess because we can’t teach you the following:

• Organized
• Friendly
• Respectful
• Detailed Oriented
• Adaptable
• Coachable
• Humble
• Goal Oriented
• Self Sufficient

Things you should expect to be taught:

• How to bail clients out of jail
• How to negotiate sales contracts
• How to research client data using proprietary software
• How to enter files using our proprietary software
• How to be the BEST BONDSMAN in the industry

What you will owe to us daily:

• Bring your best to work
• Leave the drama at the door
• Extend grace even when grace isn’t warranted
• Leave this place better than you found it

How you will be compensated:

• Weekly salary, weekly commission if you earn it, monthly bonus if you earn it
• 401k + Match
• We will pay ½ your personal insurance premiums
• PTO and paid vacation

We are going to be upfront:

The way we work isn’t for everyone. If autonomy and freedom accompanied with head-scratching challenges motivate you, we are going to get along GREAT.