First of all it depends on what you classify as the Golden Age. Some scholars consider the mid 17th century, the buccaneering era, the dawn of the golden age. Most agree that it's just the early 18th century.

The buccaneers were usually privateers, and had a letter of marque in their possession. In their case a raid was more like a gig, something to do in the off season when planting, hunting and logwood cutting weren't in season. If a crewman decided not to join, that was entirely up to him.

By 1715 or so, most nations had ceased the excessive use of privateers. By the end of The War of Spanish Succession the Caribbean was littered with former navy men and privateers with few options to earn a living. Thus they turned to piracy.

Now, pirates were essentially democratic aboard their vessels. The captain was not lord or master over the crew. If one man chose to leave the crew and take work elsewhere he was free to. There was likely a fair bit of pressure not to leave his friends, but nothing official.

However, Pirates have been classified since the Roman era as hostis humani generis, or enemies of the whole human race. It's a legal distinction still cited in courts today. After the war they could be arrested by any nation, tried and executed with no international legal trouble.

This put pirates in a sort of bunker mentality. Most men who had turned to piracy were stuck there, legally speaking. Even if they wanted to leave that life, there were few other options. No other islands would accept known pirates, and few reputable employers would hire them.

This is why places like Nassau arose, where pirates could live and sell their goods safely. But it's telling that when Governor Woodes Rogers arrived in 1718 bearing a pardon for any Pirate willing to take it, hundreds of men did so. The crews of pirate ships were decimated, and really the back of the Pirate Republic was broken.

Pirates were free to leave any ship or crew they chose, and the best captains attracted the best men. But they weren't free to leave their life of piracy safely until the king chose to pardon them.

I do a podcast on pirate history. Here's a list of sources from my website

For further reading:

The Invisible Hook by Peter T. Leeson

Pirates in the Age of Sail by Robert J. Anthony

The Pirates Pact by Douglass R. Burgess Jr