It is an obligation of record, entered into before a court or magistrate duly authorized, whereby the party bound acknowledges (recognizes) that they owe a personal debt to the state.
A recognizance is subject to a "defeasance"; that is, the obligation will be avoided if person bound does some particular act, such as appearing in court on a particular day, or keeping the peace.
The concept of a recognizance exists in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, and the United States.
[2] A recognizance is a form of bail, in which an accused is released from pre-trial detention with an incentive to ensure that they will appear before the court to face charges on a certain day in the future.
[2] They continue to be used for this purpose in Australia, with the federal Crimes Act providing that the court can discharge the person with or without sureties, by recognizance or otherwise.