From what I get, how serious the crime is definitely plays a role, but the judge also looks at the risk that the person just won't show up to court and bails on the whole thing. So like if the guy has a steady job, a family, he's lived in that city for years, he's renting or even paying a mortgage, bail's usually lower, because it's kind of like, where's he gonna go, his whole life is there. But if someone just moved recently, doesn't have a job, and isn't even local, they might jack the bail up higher specifically because of the risk that he just disappears and doesn't show. If people are able to pay the bail amount and the person actually shows up to every hearing like they're supposed to, they get that bail back at the end. So it's basically like a security deposit when you rent an apartment. At the end of the lease you get it back. Same idea here. There's also companies like Midnight Bail Bonds https://midnightbail.com/services/1-percent-bail-bonds/ that help people who don't have that 10% of the bail amount just sitting around. If the cosigner's solid, you can pay like 1% upfront and the other 9% over a more manageable period.