APPA Supports Pretrial Supervision Services
For Immediate Release: 06/15/2010

On June 7, 2010, the American Probation and Parole Association published a new Resolution supporting pretrial supervision services. As the Resolution states, “pretrial supervision services exist to evaluate the jail population to ensure those who should be in custody remain in custody and those who do not pose a significant risk to the community can be released, allowing for better utilization of our justice resources.”

Comments from Mr. Timothy Murray, Executive Director of the Pretrial Justice Institute, underline the importance of careful decision making regarding pretrial release of those accused of crimes, “Most jurisdictions use pre-set fees arranged by the type of charge to determine whether a suspect should or should not be released back into the community. Accused felons, therefore, are often released on bail with little or no attention paid to their criminal histories, their danger to society or whether they are likely to become fugitives.”

A 2008 report from the state of Colorado, Topics in Community Corrections, points out, “...defendants who could be supervised effectively in the community often remain in jail unnecessarily because they are unable to post bond. At the same time, higher-risk defendants who can post a monetary bond are often returned to the community unsupervised.”[1]

Barbara Broderick, APPA President and Chief of the Maricopa County (Phoenix, AZ) Adult Probation Department says, "As Chief of a large probation agency that includes pretrial supervision services, I know for a fact that the pretrial officers we employ are professionals with superior training and skills that allow them to not only secure public safety by supervising those accused of crime prior to their trials, but to also assist those in need of services such as mental health or substance abuse treatment. The bail bond industry is simply unable to provide such service to the community".

Executive Director of APPA, Mr. Carl Wicklund, adds, “Pretrial services are an essential cog in the fair administration of justice by helping ensure responsible population management of jails, appropriate release and supervision of defendants awaiting trial without regard for financial means, and the provision of valuable information to the justice system process”.

Read APPA’s resolution in support of pretrial supervision services.

[1] Retrieved from: http://nicic.gov/Downloads/PDF/Library/022999.pdf