pretrial release

In June 2020, the Center for Court Innovation released the report “Reducing Pretrial Detention in New York City: Data-Driven Strategies for Decarceration” by Michael Rempel and Tia Pooler. The report notes that 65 percent of arrested individuals in the United States and 75 percent of arrested individuals in New York City (as of 2019) are held in local jails pretrial and prior to conviction.

By working with consultants from the Harris County Public Defender’s Office, NACDL is completing a pretrial release manual tailored to the specific legal framework and Harris County’s defense bar’s needs and challenges. The manual includes a discussion of fundamental bail issues and case law, practice guidelines and checklists for effective bail advocacy, a catalog of Harris County's laws and procedures, sample pleadings, applicable risk-assessment tools, and cites to available resources within the jurisdiction.

In connection with NACDL’s pretrial training and technical assistance in New Jersey we are producing training videos to support our previously published pretrial release manual and live training that were made pursuant to this grant.

In connection with NACDL’s pretrial training and technical assistance in Colorado we are producing training videos to support our previously published pretrial release manual and live training that were made pursuant to this grant.

NACDL will draft a pretrial release manual, tailored to the specific legal framework, defense bar needs and challenges of Harris County, TX. The manual will include a discussion of fundamental bail issues and case law, practice guidelines and checklists for effective bail advocacy, a catalog of Harris County's laws and procedures, sample pleadings, applicable risk-assessment tools, and available resources within the jurisdiction.

Colette Tvedt and Maureen Cain, authors of the Colorado Bail Book produced pursuant to this grant, trained attorneys at a program organized by the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar on pretrial release advocacy on December 4, 2015.

NACDL will draft a pretrial release manual, tailored to the specific legal framework, defense bar needs and challenges of New Jersey. The manual will include a discussion of fundamental bail issues and case law, practice guidelines and checklists for effective bail advocacy, a catalog of New Jersey's laws and procedures, sample pleadings, applicable risk-assessment tools, and available resources within the jurisdiction.

Colette Tvedt will travel to Colorado to train Colorado defenders on pretrial release advocacy at their annual conference, September 20-22, 2015.

NACDL will draft a pretrial release manual, tailored to the specific legal framework, defense bar needs and challenges of Wisconsin. The manual will include a discussion of fundamental bail issues and case law, practice guidelines and checklists for effective bail advocacy, a catalog of Wisconsin's laws and procedures, sample pleadings, applicable risk-assessment tools, and available resources within the jurisdiction.

NACDL will draft a pretrial release manual, tailored to the specific legal framework, defense bar needs and challenges of Colorado. The manual will include a discussion of fundamental bail issues and case law, practice guidelines and checklists for effective bail advocacy, a catalog of Colorado’s laws and procedures, sample pleadings, applicable risk-assessment tools, and available resources within the jurisdiction.