NABA was founded in October 2020, at a defining moment for the secured bail profession.
Across the country, sweeping changes to pretrial release were reshaping the industry. New York's bail reform law had taken effect on January 1, 2020, significantly restricting the use of cash bail in many cases and impacting bail agencies that had served their communities for generations. California voters were preparing to decide the future of cash bail statewide. Illinois was moving toward legislation that would ultimately become the Pretrial Fairness Act, while New Jersey had already implemented substantial changes to its pretrial system.
The message was unmistakable: the secured bail profession needed a strong, organized national voice.
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic had brought in-person conferences and gatherings to a halt, disrupting many of the places where bail professionals traditionally came together to exchange ideas, organize, and advocate. The profession was also mourning the loss of Beth Chapman, who had devoted much of her public life to advocating for bail and the professionals who serve within the industry.
The profession needed coordination. It needed representation. It needed a voice.
A small group of bail professionals stepped forward.
They were already doing this work—leading state associations, appearing before legislatures, advocating for their members, and confronting firsthand the consequences of rapidly changing pretrial policies.
Working through the pandemic, they began building something that could bring the profession together nationally. They drafted bylaws, established a governing structure, recruited a founding board, and created an organization centered on advocacy, education, professionalism, and the future of secured bail.
On October 1, 2020, the National Association of Bail Agents, Inc. was established.
The first elected Board of Directors was seated at the 2021 Membership Meeting, and NABA has continued to grow ever since—state by state, agency by agency, and member by member.
Where We Are Today
NABA has grown from an idea born during an uncertain moment into a national organization representing and supporting bail and recovery professionals across the country.
Our conferences bring members together for education, professional development, advocacy, and something equally important: the opportunity to strengthen the relationships that hold this profession together. The 2026 Spring Conference in Atlanta, co-hosted with the Georgia Association of Professional Bondsmen, continued that tradition by bringing professionals from across the country together to learn, collaborate, and prepare for the challenges ahead.
But NABA's work extends far beyond its conferences.
We engage on legislative and regulatory issues affecting secured bail, submit comments on pretrial proposals, advocate on issues affecting our members, support state associations in their own legislative efforts, and continue building resources that allow the profession to identify and respond to developments across the country.
That national coordination matters. Many state associations operate with limited resources and cannot independently maintain the legislative, regulatory, and advocacy infrastructure necessary to monitor every development that could affect their members. NABA helps bridge that gap.
We also believe national representation means representing the entire profession. Bail agents, recovery agents, surety professionals, state associations, and others whose work supports secured release all have a place in the conversation about its future.
NABA was created because our profession needed a national voice.
That need has not disappeared. Neither have we.
The organization is growing. The network is getting stronger. And the work is just getting started.
