Bail as the rule preserves personal liberty while courts exercise broad, fact specific discretion on release. Bail is the rule and jail the exception: its purpose is to secure the accused's attendance at trial rather than to punish. An accused presumed innocent has a right to freedom to prepare a defence, and personal liberty is a fundamental interest. Granting or refusing bail is a broad judicial discretion exercised on the facts of each case; factors must be assessed cumulatively and no single circumstance is universally determinative.