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Supervising Defendants

Research from the field of probation demonstrates time and again that the key to successful community supervision is the matching of appropriate supervision conditions to the criminogenic risks and needs presented by individuals. The monitoring of conditions of release is the sole responsibility of a pretrial program (or pretrial function within a probation department).

 

Pretrial supervision includes contact supervision and referral to or provision of services. In accordance with national standards, conditions of release should be related to the risk identified in each individual case, and should be the least restrictive necessary to reasonably assure the defendant’s appearance and community safety. Supervision should be individualized and based on a scheme of graduated contacts and level of supervision dependent on conditions imposed. If adjudicated guilty, a final report on the defendant's compliance with release conditions should be prepared to assist in the compilation of pre-sentence report information.

 


The following publications highlight research done on risk-mitigating supervision conditions. More related documents may be found at the Library:

 
Pretrial Justice Institute 730 11th Street NW Suite 302 Washington, DC 20001 Tel: 202-638-3080 Fax: 202-347-0493