What is the purpose of a bail hearing?

The purpose of a bail hearing is to decide on the amount of bail to be set or the conditions for a defendant's release from custody while awaiting trial. During this hearing, the judge considers various factors such as the nature of the alleged crime, the defendant's criminal history, the risk of flight, and the safety of the community. The aim is to balance the presumption of innocence with the need to ensure that the defendant appears for future court proceedings and does not pose a danger to the public.

In this context, determining guilt is not a function of the bail hearing; that determination occurs during the trial process. Assessing the integrity of witnesses and finalizing sentencing also fall outside the scope of a bail hearing, which is focused solely on the defendant's release conditions before the trial. Thus, the correct answer accurately reflects the specific role of a bail hearing in the judicial process.