WHAT IS A “PERSONAL RECOGNIZANCE BOND”?
A “personal recognizance bond”, when authorized by a court, permits release from custody on the Defendant’s “personal recognizance”, which is a promise to appear as required by a court. It is not necessary to deposit money with the court. Failure to appear will result in the issuance of an arrest warrant. The district attorney must consent to a defendant’s release on personal recognizance bond in any case involving ς felony charges ς class I misdemeanor charges ς defendant’s prior conviction of a felony within the last 5 years ς defendant’s prior conviction of a class I misdemeanor within the last 2 years, or ς defendant’s previous failure to appear on a bail bond.
