Not everyone gets bail. Releasing defendants without bail is called release on "own recognizance". It depends on how severe the crime and how likely they think

Not everyone gets bail. Releasing defendants without bail is called release on "own recognizance". It depends on how severe the crime and how likely they think you are to run. Keep in mind criminal law is handled at the state level, so historically it was really hard to catch people who just moved to another state. Bail pays for people like "bounty hunters" to go find you.