Follow the bouncing ball: pretrial reform

The Northpointe Suite   •   An equivant product

With so much conversation around pretrial practices and so much legislative change happening now and on the horizon, it can be difficult to fully understand their impact on our processes. Staying ahead of the reform conversation is no easy feat – especially when you’re focused on ensuring compliance and keeping your community safe.

The NCSLStateNet tracking tool allows you to search for your state and look for bills in 10 areas that are of key interest. These include:

1. Bond Forfeiture and Conditions Violations
2. Budget, Oversight and Administration
3. Citation in Lieu of Arrest
4. Commercial Bond Regulation
5. Conditions of Pretrial Release
6. Court Guidance For Release Determinations
7. Diversion Programs
8. Eligibility For Pretrial Release
9. Pretrial Services and Programs
10. Risk-Based Assessments

Did you know –

• There’s a bill being considered in Arizona for persons incarcerated for a bail-able offense who cannot or does not post bail, which would give each individual unable to pay a $30 credit for each day incarcerated?
• Or that Rhode Island is considering amending the conditions of bail to permit the release of a person charged with a misdemeanor without financial conditions of any kind?
• California introduced SB-10 during its last legislative session, while Ohio just launched into its own reform cycle December 2017 that is intended to change pretrial practices state-wide while building a reporting stream for effective measurement.
• Drill deeper into the NCSLStateNet tool to check out 50-state policy comparison charts (how does Delaware’s citation in lieu of arrest policy compare to Idaho’s? Great question!)

The site is updated regularly, so checking back periodically could help you be ready for the inevitable pretrial reform that is moving across the country.

We know that navigating legislative reform along with your other high stakes responsibilities can be a challenge. With access to tools and resources like the NCSLStateNet tool, help is available to cut through the fog, increase awareness of what’s happening in corrections, keep track of all those bouncing legislative balls, and ultimately enable you to work smarter, not harder.