Bail is a term used to describe the monetary promise made to a court that a person will appear for their scheduled court appearance. It is cash or a cash equivalent. A person may post bail, which means to give bail to the court, if they have been arrested and the court agrees to allow them to do so. The bail is a guarantee that helps ensure that the charged person will appear in court when they are ordered to do so. If the individual appears, as they should, the bail is refunded. If they do not, the court will keep the bail and then issues a warrant for the arrest of the individual. Bail is never guaranteed to any individual.