Topic: Pretrial and Bail

Issue Brief

Courts Pretrial and Bail Prosecutors February 22, 2019

Pretrial Risk Assessment Tools: A Primer for Judges, Prosecutors, and Defense Attorneys

University of Virginia Law School, Upturn, and Human Rights Data Analysis Group

A vibrant national debate is occurring as to what role, if any, pretrial risk assessment tools can or should play in bail reform. This critical issue brief is intended to inform this ongoing debate by describing pretrial risk assessment tools and what they are designed to do. The primer provides foundational knowledge about pretrial risk assessment tools to contextualize and support further discussion regarding the use and evaluation of these tools in practice.

Additional Downloads

• Executive Summary

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Report

Data Analysis Interagency Collaboration Pretrial and Bail December 13, 2018

Correctional Control 2018: Incarceration and Supervision by State

Prison Policy Initiative

The U.S. has a staggering 2.3 million people behind bars, but even this number doesn’t capture the true scale of our correctional system. For a complete picture of our criminal justice system, it’s more accurate to look at the 6.7 million people under correctional control, which includes not only incarceration but also probation and parole. In this report, the Prison Policy Initiative compiles data on each state’s various systems of correctional control to help advocates and policymakers prioritize targets for reform.

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Implementation Guide

Data Analysis Interagency Collaboration Pretrial and Bail October 12, 2018

Case Study: Developing Data Dashboards to Drive Criminal Justice Decisions

Urban Institute

Jurisdictions across the country are seeking ways to better understand their justice-involved populations and guide their decisions with data. This case study examines the experiences of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and the City and County of San Francisco, California in integrating real-time data across criminal justice decision points and other non-justice systems to inform decisionmaking.  With the increased interest in using dashboards across the country, practitioners interested in implementing similar efforts can take several lessons from Allegheny County and the City and County of San Francisco’s experiences, including the importance of collaboration and continuous communication throughout the process, building a strong analytic capacity and ongoing relationship with IT, and the importance of automated, real-time data.

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Implementation Guide

Human Toll of Jail Presumption of Innocence Pretrial and Bail October 12, 2018

Case Study: Supporting Individual Agency in the Pretrial Release Process

Urban Institute

This case study presents the experiences of two counties as they implemented communication strategies focused on engaging pretrial detainees in securing optimal pretrial release and successfully navigating the pretrial release period. Durham County sought to remind anyone released before trial about their court dates by signing them up for a user-friendly web-based service. The share of people who failed to appear in court dropped 6 percentage points from September 2017 to May 2018. Santa Clara County executed a multimedia campaign to inform detainees about nonmonetary release options and reduce overreliance on money bail. The number of non-monetary releases increased and monetary bail releases declined, although this could be due to other reforms. Durham and Santa Clara counties developed effective messages, sought the input of defendants and family members, and used multiple avenues to reach the intended audience.

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Implementation Guide

Interagency Collaboration Pretrial and Bail Women in Jail October 12, 2018

Case Study: Implementing Alternatives to Incarceration for Women in Rural Communities

Urban Institute

This case study examines how Campbell County, a rural community in Tennessee, designed and launched the Women In Need Diversion (WIND) program to address the particular needs of women in jail. Drawing on direct program observation and in-person interviews with WIND stakeholders, this case study looks at design and implementation of the program and its early outcomes. The study also highlights lessons for other rural communities, including the importance of relationship building, collaboration across local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and faith communities, and assessment tools to build knowledge about served populations and overall system capacity.

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