Not just family. But anyone can apply for bail. Even the offender can dial a tollfree number to apply. The risk assessment is used to predict the likelihood of FTA (same risk assessment being using in court systems today). This factor is provided to "peers" to help them determine if they want to contribute to bail payments.
I'm looking for it now, but there was an article recently that talked about a system that had been gamed in that it deemed almost 99% of people a flight risk.
