The Effectiveness of Supervised Pretrial Release

Abstract

Whether to release from jail defendants charged with serious felony crimes continues to be a topic of considerable national debate. In this study, an experimental design with random assignment was used in three cities (Miami, Milwaukee, and Portland) to test whether defendants denied initial pretrial release can be later screened and released under close supervision without adversely affecting arrest and failure to appear rates. The results are generally positive with approximately 90% of the defendants not being arrested or becoming fugitive. These success rates were superior to rates for other forms of pretrial release. We also present suggestions on how a model Supervised Pretrial Release (SPR) should be structured and operated by local jurisdictions.