After your arrest you can be released in the following ways before the court case is over:

• you can be released into the care of your parents or guardian, if you are under 18 years old OR
• you can be released with a warning to appear in court on a certain date OR
• you can be released on bail

Bail is money paid to the court or to the police. If you pay this money you can go home until the date of your court case.

When your court case is over, you get the bail money back, even if you are found guilty. But you will not get your bail money back:

• if you do not come to court on the day of your court case
• if you interfere with any witnesses
• if you break any of the conditions of bail

If you are released on bail, then you will get a written notice. This notice will tell you where the court is. It will show the day and the time that you must be in that court. And it will also show any conditions, for example, that you must report every week to the police station.

There are three kinds of bail:

• Police bail
• Bail by certain prosecutors
• Court bail