The pretrial education resources are grouped into the following topics. Click on a topic to jump to the appropriate section.
- Financial Conditions of Pretrial Release
- Pretrial Release and Detention
- Conditions of Pretrial Release
- Pretrial Justice Language
Financial Conditions of Pretrial Release
Financial conditions of release, often known as money bail or bond, are common. After viewing this video, consider the following discussion questions:
- Are financial conditions of release an effective pretrial practice?
- Do judicial officers in your jurisdiction rely on a bail schedule to establish financial conditions of release?
- In your jurisdiction, do judicial officers make individualized findings, and is a person’s ability to pay assessed before financial conditions are set?
- In your jurisdiction, are there people in jail because they can’t afford financial conditions?
The Problem of Financial Conditions
Resources explaining the issues of using pretrial financial conditions.
- Financial Conditions of Release Research Summary (PDF)
Multiple studies concluded that any kind of financial condition doesn’t improve court appearances or law-abiding behavior. - Pretrial’s Money Problem (PDF)
A two-page brief summarizing the negative impacts of pretrial financial conditions.
Financial Conditions: Lessons from the Legal Analysis
A retired judge describes what he learned when analyzing state law on financial conditions.
Financial Conditions: Lessons from the Research
A pretrial services manager explains how empirical research informed the discussion about financial conditions in her jurisdiction.
Pretrial Release and Detention
Getting It Right
U.S. law tells us pretrial release must be the norm and detention the carefully limited exception. Research supports this conclusion. So why do so many systems get this wrong? After watching the video, consider the following discussion questions:
- Do judicial officers in your jurisdiction explicitly order people to be detained or is pretrial detention usually achieved through financial conditions?
- Does your jurisdiction have a mechanism for holding detention hearings that would provide people with due process?
Legal Analysis: Pretrial Release, Detention, and Conditions of Release
It’s essential to understand the laws that govern pretrial justice decisions. APPR has legal analyses for several states that can serve as models for your own. Use APPR’s guidance to examine your pretrial laws.
Read the Pretrial Legal Analysis
Pretrial Detention Research Summary
Share this research summary on pretrial detention. Then, take 15 minutes to ask people for their feedback.
Pretrial Detention Research Summary (PDF)
Conditions of Pretrial Release
There are legal principles when setting conditions of pretrial release. After watching this video, start a discussion by asking the following:
- Are the practices in our jurisdiction consistent with the legal principles that govern pretrial release?
Common Pretrial Practices
APPR pretrial research summaries cover common pretrial release conditions. Share the summaries and convene meetings to discuss people’s feedback. You may even convene a workgroup to study the research in greater depth.
- Court Date Notification Systems (PDF)
- Pretrial Drug Testing (PDF)
- Pretrial Location Monitoring (PDF)
- Pretrial Monitoring (PDF)
Pretrial Justice Language
The pretrial justice field frequently uses confusing language. Words and terms used in one setting can have a different meaning in another. Use our glossary to clarify meaningful conversations about pretrial justice, racial equity, and community engagement.
Glossary of Pretrial, Racial Equity, and Community Engagement Terms (PDF)
