The Pretrial Evaluation unit is co-located with the Magistrate’s Office and the Adult Detention Center (ADC) and operates on a nearly 24/7 schedule. Pretrial services agencies provide information and investigative service and make recommendations to Judges and magistrates to help them decide whether individuals charged with certain offenses and awaiting trial need to be detained in jail or can be released pending trial to their communities under supervision by a Probation Officer.
The investigation process has several components: defendant’s interview, phones calls to references (family, employers, neighbors, etc.) and extensive record checks to include the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Virginia Crime Information Networks (VCIN), local Criminal records, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and court records throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia for pending charges.
Pretrial risk assessment instruments deployed by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services are used to indicate the risk of failure to appear for a scheduled court appearance or arrest for a new offense for defendants pending trial. Criminal history, residence, employment, and substance abuse are risk factors.
Improved bail decisions provide substantial benefits to defendants, the community, and the criminal justice system such as:
- Increased public safety
- Protection of the presumption of innocence
- Expeditious court case flow
- Effective utilization of criminal justice and community resources
- Reduction in the potential for disparity in bail decisions