In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, a pretrial services report is a document used by a
judicial officer
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, typically a
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
, in making decisions, e.g., about
bail
Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required.
In some countries ...
. In 2016, federal officers prepared 88,248 pretrial services reports, 97 percent of which were pre-bail reports. Typically the report must be prepared within a very limited timeframe due to the deadlines for making bail decisions.
To gather information for the report, the officer interviews the defendant. The report will contain defendant case information, such as residence, family ties, employment history, financial resources, health (including mental health and substance abuse histories), and criminal history. The officer then performs a criminal record check, pursues investigative leads, and verifies information which the defendant has provided, such as address, employment, assets, and citizenship.
On the basis of this information, the report will assess the defendant's likelihood of appearing for court and the level of danger he poses to the community. The last section of the report recommends for the release or detention of the defendant.
References
Courts
Legal documents
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