rat

bail is the rough equivalent of escrow money placed in trust with the state to secure freedom until the specified trial date. it also an alternative to the other two options which are: released upon own recognizance (RoR'd) or remand. RoR is usually the case in which a high-profile person (generally famous, well-regarded, or extremely wealthy) is released without bail either due to the fact that no amount of money able to be legally set by the court would be deemed sufficient to hold them, or because they do not pose a serious flight risk if they surrender their passport. Not many people would have failed to recognize O.J. Simpson in the early 90s during his trial, and he had a enough money that even several million dollars worth of bail would have been pointless to impose. Therefore, as long as he surrendered his passport, due to his high-profile celebrity, he was released on his own recognizance. Remand, on the other hand, is when someone is deemed a serious flight risk or a serious risk to their community due to a history of criminal violence. Bail is the middle ground. It's saying, "You may be tempted to flee the jurisdiction of this court, so we're going to take enough of your money to make it not worth your time to do so; however, we don't see you as an immediate threat to those around you, so we will not hold you in prison until your court date."

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