That's literally how bail worked in its original incarnation. Someone would post bail on your behalf, and if you skipped down, _they_ would be responsible for

That's literally how bail worked in its original incarnation. Someone would post bail on your behalf, and if you skipped down, _they_ would be responsible for the bail amount. So therefore they would basically be taking responsibility for ensuring you stuck around and made it to court. It obviously doesn't work well for people without a connection to the community in which they were arrested.