Well cynicism is definitely called for wrt bail, because it's regularly used for a very different purpose. It's normal for people accused of crimes to have to wait over a year for their trial in this country, and the courts often intentionally set bail so high that the accused can't possibly afford it. They are forced to choose between sitting in jail that whole time while their life evaporates, or they can plea guilty to a crime they may or may not have committed; the actual punishment is often less severe than being found innocent at trial. The prosecution can repeatedly push back the trial to keep the pressure on. Since healthcare access is almost always tied to employment, people plead guilty to crimes they didn't commit every day in this country so that their kids don't lose their access to healthcare. Just the sort of systemic, everyday corruption that we're supposed to pretend can't happen here.