The option to post bail is not up to the defendant, the defendant’s family and friends, or the arresting police; it is up to the judge. Since the judge is never actively present at the time of the actual arrest, the defendant will not immediately...

Bail – determined by a judge, this is the amount of money a defendant will need to pay court in order to leave jail. Bond, or bail bond – a written contract from a professional bail agent to the court (acts as bail payment) with the...