own recognizance

Also found in: Acronyms.

own recognizance (O.R.)

n. the basis for a judge allowing a person accused of a crime to be free while awaiting trial, without posting bail, on the defendant's own promise to appear and his/her reputation. The judge may consider the seriousness of the crime charged, the likelihood the defendant will always appear, the length of time the person has lived in the area, his/her reputation in the community, his/her employment, financial burdens, and the demeanor of the accused. In minor crimes, traffic offenses, and technical law violations such as leaky septic systems, judges routinely grant release on one's own recognizance. (See: O.R., bail)

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References in periodicals archive ?

The suspect, General Director of this group of companies, has been charged with the alleged crime and the preventive measure in the form of a subscription on his own recognizance on not leaving Moscow and the Moscow Region.

Russian Federation : The police detained a suspect in the criminal case of theft of $ 26 million by a group of companies engaged in the organization of tourism and recreation

The 38-year-old single mother of 14 children was released on her own recognizance after arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court on three counts of welfare fraud.

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At the police station where they were held after their arrest, a sergeant advised the women they could either pay $500 bail or be released on their own recognizance providing they never set foot on Kroger premises again.

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citizen, for example--may be released on their own recognizance or not charged at all.

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The nuns declined to be released on their own recognizance because they would have had to agree to avoid demonstrations.

Nuns spill blood, go to jail. (News)

The inmate was released on his own recognizance, "probably because of his condition--though the record does not make this clear.

Perkins v. Lawson

A short while later we were released on our own recognizance.

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He has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a misdemeanour, and was released on his own recognizance pending a court appearance on 14 December, reported United Press International.

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Martin turned himself in to Baltimore County police June 26 and was released on his own recognizance.

Priest-liturgist arrested for sex abuse in 1970s

And following his arrest for pointing the weapon at Jocelyne and her bodyguards, he insisted that he should be released on his own recognizance because of his substantial ties to the community.

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Spruill was arraigned in New York federal court and released on his own recognizance after entering a not-guilty plea.

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Proponents of releasing defendants on their own recognizance cite data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics that show more than 40 percent of all arrested felons in the nation's seventy-five largest counties receive an offer of bail.