If not given a Desk Appearance Ticket after an arrest, a criminal defendant will appear before a judge to determine the amount of bail or whether the defendant should be held in jail without bail. This can be done at a bail hearing or combined with an arraignment where a formal reading of the charges is made.
The judge will usually release a defendant on bail and set the amount of bail which must be posted. The judge will also decide if the bail must be posted in cash or if the defendant will be allowed to post a bail bond.
Most criminal defendants who retain a private criminal lawyer, will use the public defender to represent them at the bail hearing/arraignment. Should you take advantage of free representation provided by the public defender, when it may cost you a few hundred dollars for a private lawyer to represent you?
Each case is different and it is not possible here to provide advice as to what to do. Legal advice for your specific case can only be provided by a lawyer licensed in your state and only after personally consulting with you. However, generally if a criminal defendant has a prior criminal history or if the charges are a serious misdemeanor or felony it may be worth calling a private criminal lawyer to represent you at the bail hearing.