An arraignment is the first step in a criminal prosecution.  Typically, the Defendant is brought before the Court where s/he is informed of the charges and then permitted to enter a plea if s/he so desires.

In most Courts,  the Defendant is given a copy of the charge(s), they are informed to their right to counsel and if necessary, the Judge will assign counsel for purpose of arraignment.  Various notices may also be issued such as: whether the case will be brought before a Grand Jury, a notice informing the Defendant of statements s/he made to Law Enforcement and, a notice if there was an identification by a witness.

Finally, a bail determination is made by the Court.  The Prosecutor will make a recommendation to the Court.  The Court can remand the Defendant into custody without bail,  set a cash or bond amount for bail, Order the Defendant Released Under Supervision (RUS) to the Probation department  or Order the Defendant Released on Own Recognizance (ROR) permitting the Defendant to return home without supervision or posting bail.