The term “bail” is commonly used to describe a cash amount that has been set by a judge, to make sure that a person charged with a crime, called a “defendant,” will
come back to court. This amount must be paid before a person will be released from jail. Generally, the defendant will be given the option of either paying cash, or paying a
bail bondsman to put up the funds, called a “bond.” More on this below.
Testimony for NYC City Council Committee on Criminal Justice Oversight Hearing – Alternatives to Detention and Incarceration in New York City
Thursday, November 30, 2023 Thank you Chair Carlina Rivera for holding this hearing and inviting our testimony. My name is Yonah Zeitz, I’m the director