Paula Chico Bail Bonds

Paula Chico Bail Bonds, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

"No Bull, just Bail." "Minutes from Jail." Kinda like fast food or a pizza delivery place. Get arrest? Don't worry about it. You can be out in minutes to try and shoot your wife again before the paramedics stabilize her.

Garcia Bail Bonds

Garcia Bail Bonds, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

One of the most successful bail bond places in Modesto, California. This is a brand new building. I believe they own the entire complex.

Downtown Modesto on a Sunday night

Downtown Modesto on a Sunday night, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Another example of side-by-side bail bond places in the Central Valley. There are so many here, they are often forced to locate next to each other.

Dennis Morgan

Dennis Morgan, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Well-known business in downtown Modesto.

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Modesto__15, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Benches side by side. The irony? This is in front of the historic city hall.

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Modesto__14, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

I have to say this is probably one of my favorite bail bonds places in Modesto. I love the picture of the bandito in the window. While I don't want to make suppositions, I have to assume that it's Zapata, the famed Mexican revolutionary who defied both his country and the United States. It's almost as if they are saying through visuals "we know you are being unfairly treated by the brutish dictators in this country, so come to us because we know that while you might not be innocent, your criminal cause was a just one." It really plays on the whole "lone wolf" syndrome that really seeps through all levels of American culture, from Al "Scarface" Capone to Dirty Harry.

Modesto__13

Modesto__13, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Most of the bail bonds places have signs in both English and Spanish. At least someone in California supports bilingual education.

Modesto__12

Modesto__12, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Bail bonds, not just for men anymore.

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Modesto__11, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

In fact, there are so many bail bonds places in Modesto, they often located next door to each other, due to the lack of available locations in the city.

Modesto__10

Modesto__10, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

I like the "Dreambuilders" sign in the window of Woody's. No longer does arrest and incarceration have to get in the way of your dreams.

Modesto__09

Modesto__09, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Golden State Bail Bonds. Yup, it's a state-wide issue.

Modesto__08

Modesto__08, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Bail Bonds places are so successful and do so much business that they can actually buy huge corner buildings. This one, located on a corner, is one of the largest businesses in the downtown area, and it's also across the street from both the county jail and the county school district. I suspect their clients don't go to the school district often.

Modesto__07

Modesto__07, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Another bus bench. This one just makes fun of the entire criminal justice system. Why be inconvenienced by a simple arrest. Get out in minutes and continue with your criminal activities. Jail? That's no longer a humiliation. It's simply a way of life.

Modesto__06

Modesto__06, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

My daughter said she really liked the criminal begging to be bailed out immediately, obviously so he could go right back to burglarizing houses, at least with that getup on.

Modesto__05

Modesto__05, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Side by side public bus benches, both with ads for the same bail bondsman.

Modesto__04

Modesto__04, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Practically every bus bench in Modesto's downtown is an advertisement for a Bail Bonds business. When I was little, they mostly were advertisements for plumbers, rug cleaners and video stores. What the Hell happened there?

Modesto__03

Modesto__03, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

This bails bondman is located among jewelry stores, coffee houses and popular nightclubs. He blends right in with the recently renovated downtown area, except his clients are accused criminals.

Modesto__02

Modesto__02, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Some of the Bail Bondsmen are located in professional office complexes, right along side attorneys, job placement services and accountants. This building even has an annex for a California State University, which I find highly ironic considering there are more prisoners than college students in California.

Modesto__01

Modesto__01, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

Neon sign found in most Bail Bondsmen windows in Modesto.

Modesto_

Modesto_, originally uploaded by Inkyhack.

I took all these Bail Bond related pictures all in the same hour. Every one of these photos was taken in a four-block radius in downtown Modesto. I have seen a marked increase in the number of Bail Bond places in the Central Valley in the past eight years, even though crime has statistically not gone up. What's the deal here? How can we live in a country where crime goes down yet the number of prisoners outnumbers the number of people in both primary, secondary and higher education? And why such a huge increase in the profitability of bail bond places?

This is a photo blog of Bail bonds places in the United States. In the San Joaquin Valley, where I live, bail bonds places have started to sprout like weeds in most of the major cities here. Why? I don't know. Factors include high unemployment, low wages, super-restrictive laws, the abundance of jails, the lack of law and order, and so on. I hope that by getting others to track bail bonds places, we can start a discussion as to how we got to be a society that has more prisoners than people in school.