Massachusetts § 99G - Pretrial services initiative; supervisor of pretrial services; duties; staff; reports

§ 99G. Pretrial services initiative; supervisor of pretrial services; duties; staff; reports

Section 99G. (a) There shall be in the office of probation a pretrial services initiative, hereinafter referred to as pretrial services. Pretrial services shall be led by a supervisor of pretrial services. The supervisor shall be a person of ability and experience in the pretrial process who shall be chosen and appointed by the commissioner of probation.

(b) Pretrial services shall perform the following duties for the departments of the trial court of the commonwealth: (i) develop, in coordination with the court and other criminal justice agencies, programs to minimize unnecessary pretrial detention; and (ii) provide notifications and reminders to defendants of court appearance obligations to reduce the risk of accidental defaults.

(c) Pretrial services may be provided with probation staff, including community correction staff, as determined by the commissioner of probation.

(d) The supervisor of pretrial services shall submit annual reports to the commissioner of probation, the chief justice of the trial court, the court administrator, the chief justice of the supreme judicial court and the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate who shall forward the report to the chairs of the joint committee on the judiciary. The report shall include, but not be limited to, if available: (i) analysis on demographics of the pretrial population, including age, race and gender; (ii) appearance and default rates; (iii) conditions imposed upon release; and (iv) any other analytical data deemed appropriate; provided, however, that any data included in the report shall be presented only in aggregated form so that no individual can be identified.