QUESTION: If bail exists, why are people in prison?

No, having money does not mean a person can always buy bail for a murder charge in the United States.

When Bail is Denied Entirely (No-Bail Cases)
Capital Offenses and Life Sentences: Under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, bail must not be "excessive," but the law does not guarantee bail for every crime. For first-degree murder or capital offenses carrying the death penalty or life imprisonment, judges frequently order "no bail" (remand).
Public Safety and Flight Risk: Even if a state allows bail for certain homicide charges, a judge can deny it completely if the defendant is deemed an extreme flight risk or an imminent danger to the community. Wealthy defendants with private jets or international ties often face a higher scrutiny of being a flight risk, making judges reluctant to release them at any price.

How Wealth Influences the Process
Discretionary High Bail: If a murder charge is a lesser degree (such as second-degree murder or manslaughter) or if the local jurisdiction allows for bail, a judge may set a financial amount (e.g., millions of dollars).
The Wealth Advantage: A very wealthy defendant can pay a massive cash bail outright or secure it through collateral with specialized bondsmen, whereas an indigent defendant cannot.
The Limit of Money: Money fails to secure release if the judge rules that no amount of financial conditions can guarantee public safety or court appearance. In those instances, the rich defendant stays in jail awaiting trial just like anyone else.

Bail is set for those that have been arrested and charged with a crime taken to jail, and then the next day or two they see a Judge. The judge hears the charges and sets a bail amount depending upon the crime and its severity and the likelihood of the accused to show up for their trail date that the court sets. Flight risks and severe crimes like murder do not get a bail set.

Prison is for those that have been through the above stated events and convicted of a crime by a judge or jury post their trail. If you are sent to prison, there is no bail because you are there to serve the sentence imposed upon you by the judge.

Jail-possible bail depending upon your charges until you have a trial.

Prison- you had the trail and are convicted of the crime and sent away to serve the sentence given to you by the judge.

Do you see the difference now?

Its for ritch people so they dont have to go to jail before court.

Usually you get picked up by the cops and sit in jail before your court date so you cant run away. But if you got like $500,000 pocket cash just laying around you can just go home and promise you will show up at your court date. Then they determine weather you go to prison. Unless you got more money....

bail is intended for non-violent criminals to avoid jail until they go to court

only shitty judges give the option of bail to violent criminals with multiple priors...

Sometimes they dont have bail for all heinous cimes. And bail just keeps you out of jail before you go to court and receive your sentence

Jail and prison are two separate things. Jail is just the box you get put in for a trial so you don't run off and evade justice or commit more crimes. Prison is the punishment cube that you get put in when they know you for sure did it.

When you bail yourself out of jail, what you're doing is, you're giving the government collateral, which they're allowed to keep if you don't show up to your court proceedings. In a way, it's a mercy; they don't want to hold you against your will when you might not be guilty if it's not completely necessary.

Some crimes allow you to do this and some crimes won't. They wouldn't let a serial killer out knowing that he's just gonna go on a killing spree or flee to Mexico, for example, no matter how many millions of dollars he has to offer. And you can't ever bail yourself out of prison because again, prison is a punishment. You're supposed to suffer regardless of how welathy you are.

In theory, at least, when people are arrested, especially under suspicion of violent crimes, they go to jail. Commonly, they have a hearing in front of a judge or magistrate, who decides if there was probable cause for an arrest.

They are assigned bail and if they can pay it, they are released, sometimes under specific conditions, like “no contact with the alleged victim,” until their trial. Again, in theory, they are assigned an attorney if they can’t afford one.

I’m not going to pretend that money and connections are not involved. They are. It’s wrong.

But when bail is paid, that money is a surety that they will show up for the trial. If they disappear, and their bond was paid by a bail bondsman, the money will be kept by the court system and the bondsman (or woman) is out the money. So they go looking for him/her.

And that’s my understanding.

Bail only covers the period between arrest and trial... if you're convicted - bail is revoked and you are recalled back to prison.

jail was only meant for violent criminals. who are an immediate threat to the public.

the rest can be littigated and fined.

its a billion dollar industry. is why tom the accounted who skimmed a few bucks gets ass raped in a fed prison nightly...

Bail can be granted for some charges and in some situations, but not all. Depends on the charge and the court's belief if you are a flight risk. And bail is only applicable up to the point you are found guilty, after which it is irrelevant.

You haven't done someone in I hope

Bail simply allows the criminal to walk about in a free manner WHILE WAITING FOR TRIAL. It does not mean they are free. It means they don't have to wait for their trial in a prison cell.