Bail Enforcement Agents
These photographs were made while documenting bail enforcement agents working in Chicago and the south suburban village of Robbins, Illinois. At the time, Illinois was one of the few states where private bail enforcement agents could operate under the bail bond system, locating and apprehending individuals who had failed to appear in court. Their work involved surveillance, intelligence gathering and the recovery of fugitives across a range of locations, including some of the most deprived and high-crime areas of the Chicago metropolitan region. The photographs were produced as a documentary record of that environment and the individuals working within it.
These are the only remaining photographs from the project after a hard drive containing the majority of the work became corrupted. The surviving images represent a small part of a much larger body of work produced over an extended period. During the project I worked closely with bail enforcement agents Mark and Bufford, accompanying them on operations throughout Chicago and its southern suburbs. I trusted my life to both men in situations that could quickly become unpredictable. Bufford has since passed away and these photographs remain a record of the time spent working alongside him. RIP Brother.
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Bufford
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Mark
Bufford
Mark
