Where are you getting 77%?
>Except for a decline to 57% in 2004, the percentage of defendants released each year varied only slightly, from 62% to 64%. A more pronounced trend was observed in the type of release used (figure 1). From 1990 to 1998, the percentage of released defendants under financial conditions rose from 24% to 36%, while non-financial releases dropped from 40% to 28%.
The only mention of 77% I see just says total release - not release without financial condition.
>Defendants with a prior conviction (51%, not shown in table) had a lower probability of being released than those without a conviction (77%). This was true even if the prior convictions were for misdemeanors only (63%). The effect of a conviction record on release was more pronounced if the defendant had at least one prior felony conviction (46%).
>A bail of let's say $250 for a minor offense is, in effect, a bail of $25. Though again, in the vast majority of cases a minor offense generally means you're released for free.
Why say $250 when the median of released defendants was $5,000?
>The median bail amount for detained defendants ($15,000) was 3 times that of released defendants ($5,000); the mean amount was about 5 times higher ($58,400 versus $11,600) (not shown in table). For all defendants with a bail amount set, the median bail amount was $9,000 and the mean was $35,800.