Pretrial services programs

Pretrial services programs are procedures in the United States to prepare cases for trial in court. In most jurisdictions pretrial services programs operate at the county level. Six US states (Kentucky, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Colorado) operate and fund pretrial services programs at the state level. The US federal courts system operates pretrial services in all 94 federal districts.

The process has three primary functions: to collect and analyze defendant information for use in determining risk, to make recommendations to the court concerning conditions of release, and to supervise defendants who are released from secure custody during the pretrial phase.

In 2009, the Pretrial Justice Institute conducted a survey of state and local pretrial services programs in the United States. Of the 300 jurisdictions asked to participate, 171 responded. The survey found that 35 percent of pretrial services programs are administratively located in probation departments, 23% in courts, and 16% in jails. An additional 14% are independent government agencies, and 8% are private nonprofit agencies.

The survey also found that 15% of programs had been established between 2000 and 2009, with 61% of the programs serving a population of 100,000 or less and an additional 26% serving populations of between 100,001 and 500,000. Currently, 97% of jurisdictions provide some form of supervision of defendants, and only about a quarter of programs recommend the use of financial release conditions.