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Terms Used In Maryland Code, CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 5-101

  • Adult: means an individual at least 18 years old. See
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • minor: means an individual under the age of 18 years. See
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
(a) This section shall be liberally construed to carry out the purpose of relying on criminal sanctions instead of financial loss to ensure the appearance of a defendant in a criminal case before verdict or pending a new trial.

(b) (1) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, if, from all the circumstances, the court believes that a minor or adult defendant in a criminal case will appear as required for trial before verdict or pending trial, the defendant may be released on personal recognizance.

(2) A failure to appear as required by personal recognizance is subject to the penalties provided in § 5-211 of this title.

(c) A defendant may not be released on personal recognizance if the defendant is charged with:

(1) a crime listed in § 5-202(d) of this title after having been convicted of a crime listed in § 5-202(d) of this title; or

(2) a crime punishable by life imprisonment without parole.