An Arraignment Judge decides whether the accused has to pay bail.
At the arraignment, the primary issue is whether or not the judge is going to set bail. If the judge does not set bail, the accused is released on his own recognizance (ROR), which essentially means that the accused is on his honour to return to court when required. If the judge decides that the accused can not be trusted to return to court without some encouragement, the judge may set bail. Bail is an amount of money that the accused is required to post with the City of New York in order to be released. If the accused returns to court every time he is required to return to court, the bail money is returned, less a small administrative fee. If the accused fails to return to court when required, the money is forfeit to New York City.