U.S. states have a wide range of different legal requirements governing pretrial release, producing an uneven patchwork of pretrial-release rules across the country.
November 15, 2024
high
legal
Describes variation in state-level pretrial-release statutes and practices.
North Carolina law requires a judge to explain in writing why they would release a dependent charged with a felony offense, but that written-explanation requirement applies only when the dependent is on probation for a prior offense.
November 15, 2024
high
statutory
Specific state statutory requirement related to written explanations for certain felony pretrial releases.
Virginia law requires a magistrate to communicate the release of a person charged with an act of violence to the attorney of the commonwealth, but Virginia law does not require a written explanation for that release communication.
November 15, 2024
high
statutory
Specific state statutory requirement and limitation regarding communication of violent-charges releases.
The proposed No Free Pass for Felons Act (2024) would condition federal grant assistance on state adoption of requirements to publish data on judges' pretrial decisions, prohibit cashless bail without a threat-assessment hearing, and publish data on repeat offenders; the bill would give states 18 months after enactment to implement the requirements and would reduce Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funding by 15% for states that do not comply.
November 15, 2024
high
policy
Summary of major policy provisions and federal funding incentives/penalties proposed in the bill.