NCJ Number
144580
Date Published
1993
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The 1992 annual report of Connecticut's Bail Commission (BC) reports that the BC conducted 64,194 interviews during the year and that 33 percent were released on written promises to appear or on nonsurety bonds set by bail commissioners.
Abstract
The number of defendants who gained release prior to arraignment, either by nonfinancial bail or posting bond, was almost 40 percent. At arraignment, bail commissioners recommended nonfinancial bail for 42 percent of defendants remaining in custody. The BC continued to assess individual defendants and, when appropriate, recommend nonfinancial pretrial alternatives to incarceration. In 1992, 11,722 defendants were released to pretrial supervision, an increase of 2,078 additional cases over 1991. A new system was implemented to standardize services, tracking, reporting, and accountability of BC pretrial supervision. To augment services offered by BC staff, contract agencies were employed to provide substance abuse and social services to some released on pretrial conditions. The percentage of persons detained at correctional centers in pretrial status increased from 13.7 percent to 15.7 percent over the year, despite a decrease in arrest rates and increased use of sanctions. Bail review procedures are described, as well as the BC's Pretrial Alcohol Education System. Statistics are tabulated on interview and release/bond activity, conditional releases, criminal record checks, defendant characteristics, Connecticut's jail population, and participation in the Pretrial Alcohol Education System. 6 tables