My experience is purely anecdotal, but I've yet to see a situation where the financial wherewithal of the accused WASn"T a factor in setting bail. Of course there are guidelines in that you won't have a $1mm bail for a traffic ticket or a $100 bail for murder, but we've all heard of ranges of a few (tens of) thousand to millions for murder.

said generally... may not be precisely true... The defense asks for bail, the people ask for an amount, the defense accepts or counters, the judge decides.

But you also have to consider that someone who is wealthy, with vast financial holdings and connections to the community etc etc etc has far more to lose by running than a homeless person... so I'm not sure how this really addresses the issue. SOUNDS good, but the alternative is just as risky