I have always seen in movies how people bail each other out and I am always confused on the concept.
In: Other
To add to the accurate and useful descriptions of bail here, note that the movie trope is *extremely misleading*. When a movie character gets caught breaking the law, the screenwriter wants there to be some kind of “punishment” but to not grind the movie to a halt with legal proceedings. It’s easier to replace all of that with a scene where the protagonist is sad because they’re in jail + a scene where someone more responsible has to post bail on the protagonist’s behalf, usually sparking some kind of dramatic conflict.
More often than not, the movie then proceeds as if nothing happened, even though in real life a person released on bail probably has another court appearance scheduled within the week and must adhere to pretty rigid restrictions on where they are allowed to travel. Even if the charges were false or destined to otherwise be dismissed, the actual legal system would come down hard on someone who was bailed out of jail, then carried on with the types of shenanigans that movie protagonists get up to.
This can create the impression in the audience that someone’s legal troubles are over as soon as they are “bailed out,” which implies a system where the court will drop charges in exchange for money. In turn, this may contribute to the widespread idea that rich people can simply pay to avoid legal repercussions. While there’s some truth to this, it’s not nearly as direct as simply handing over some money at the time of arrest.
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