If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. A Brief on Bail Practices NEW YORK SENATE RESEARCH SERVICE Task Force on Critical Pioblems January 1978 , l. ACCUSED AND UNCONVICTED A BRIEF ON BAIL PRACTICES New York Senate Research Service Task Force on Critical Problems for the Senate Standing Committee on Codes Carol Trilling Linker Stephen F. Sloan Policy Analyst Director Albany, New York January 1978 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .....................................................1 INTRODUCTION ..... ....................................................... 3 HOW THE BAIL SYSTEM WORKS ............................................ 4 Historical Overview .............•...................................... 4 Commercial (Surety) Bail ....•.......................................... 5 Bail in New York .............................................•......... 6 THE NECESSITY FOR BAIL REFORM . ........................................ 9 Uail Discriminates Against and Punishes the Poor ....................... 9 High Bail Resulting in Pretrial Detention Deprives Indigents of a "Fair Trial" .......................................... 9 Pretrial Detention Constitutes Pretrial Punishment .................... 10 Financial Bail System Gives Unprecedented Power to Bail Bondsmen ...... 11 Statutes Relating to Bail Do Not Provide for the Pretrial Detention of the Potentially Dangerous Accused ...................... 11 Bail is Based on the Assumption That Money Will Guarantee the Appearance of the Accused at Trial .............................. 11 THE ROLE OF BONDSMEN ..... ............................... '" .......... 13 FEDERAL LEGISLATION AND SUPREME COURT IMPERATIVES ... ............. 15 United States Constitution and Judiciary Act of 1709 .................. 15 Purpose of Bail--Balancing the Interests .............................. 16 Supreme Court Decisions ............................................... 16 BAIL IN NEW YORK-LAW AND PRACTICE ....... ........................... 20 ;;e\'l York Constitution ........•................... ; .................... 20 Statutory Provisions .................................................. 20 Operation of Bail in New York .......•................................. 25 BAIL REFORM-MODELS AND REALITy .....................•.............. 32 A Basis for Reform: The Manhattan Bail Project ..................... 32 The Federal Bail Reform Act of 1966 ................................. 34 Post-1966 Reform Efforts ............................................ 37 STATE AND LOCAL APPROACHES TO BAIL REFORM •....................... 42 IlLinois ............................................................ 42 Oregon .............................................................. 43 Philadephia, Pennsylvania ................. , ......................... 44 Kentucky ............................................................ 4f) District of Columhia ................................................ 47 ASSESSING THE BAIL ALTERNATIVES ...........................••........ 51) Surety ;jail ............... " ......................................... 51) Ten Percent Deposit Plans.. ....................................... 51 Conditional and Partial Release ..................................... 54 Release on Recognizance ............................................. 55 Preventive Detention ......... , .................•.................... 57 Inadequacies in New York Stat~ Bail Practices ....................... 60 Conclusions ................... , ..................................... 61 IS BAIL REFORM EXPENSIVE? ....... " .................•.....•......... '.. 62 Erie County ......................................................... 62 Monroe County ....................................................... 62 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ............•.....•....................... 63 New York City ....................................................... 63 District of Columbia ................................................ 64 Keatucky ..............................•............................. 64 Summary ............•................................................ 65 LEGISLATIVE CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHANGING BAIL PRACTICES .....•... IN NEW YORK STATE .••..•.............................................. 66 Policy on Bail ...................................................... 67 Defining the Terms .................................................. 67 Considerations for the Pretrial Decision ............................ 68 Role of the Pretrial Service Agency .......•........................ 6Q Pretrial Release Cri.teria ...•....................................... 69 Pretrial Releade ............................................•....... 70 Revie,v for Those Detained ........................................... 71 Expedited Court Calendar for Those Detained ......................... 71 Confidentiality of Information ...................................... 71 Penalties for Pretrial Misconduct ................................... 71 Release Pending Appeal .........•.................................... 72 Recordkeeping and Report Requirements ............................... 72 FOOT NOTES ......•..............•...................................... 73 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Bail reform in New York State may be necessary and desirable in the nedr future. The present system of bail neither protects the community nor adequately safeguards the rights of accused criminals. The overriding goals in any reforming effort should balance the interests of both the offender and the community, pro­ viding on the one hand for pretrial release wherever possible and on the other for freedom from dangerous and violent criminal behavior. Natiomvide reform efforts have attempted to address the inequity resulting from overuse of high bail. The forerunner was the Federal Bail Reform Act of 1966. This was followed by major bail programs in Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. These efforts have attempted to diminish the inequities inherent in traditional bail systems in which the rich buy freedom and the poor go to jail. Current analyses suggest that money bail, which severely disadvantages the indigent, may be replaced with a variety of forms of nonfinancial pretrial release. These same analyses also suggest that considerate use of non-financial release will result in neither a serious threat to the community nor wholesale release of de­ fendants who fail to reappear in court. The most common forms or non-financial release are release on recognizance and conditional release. In the latter the accused must meet specified ~onditions in order to maintain his freedom; in the former, no conditions are set. These non-financial forms of release result in cost savings to local jurisdictions through reduced jail populations. Easing of jail overcrowding in turn makes supervision of truly dangerous detained criminals simpler and more effective. There exists a dichotomy when considering bailable offenses; traditionally capital and non-capital crimes have been subjected to different release/bail criteria, Since capital crimes are considered to involve the most egregious type of behavior, people feel that the availability of bail should be greatly restricted for these offenders. There is no reason to abolish this traditional distinction, particularly as capital crimes are such a small number of the total crimes committed. LEGISLATIVE CONSIDERATIONS Policy on Bail Consideration of new bail procedures might best be based on a revised policy for pre-trial decisions. In addition to evaluating the traditional bail/ rc~ease criterion of the accused's likelihood of returning for court appearances, the judge should also consider the potential danger posed to the community and individuals if the accused were released pending case disposition. In most bail reform programs a key element has been a presumption favoring release unless the district attorney can demonstrate that release will either en­ danger the safety of persons or the community, or that thp accused will fail to reappear in court. A presumption favoring release is essentially opposite to -1- existing New York State practices wrereby the accused and his attorney must convince ehe court that pretrial release is warranted. If presumption favoring releise becomes the primary policy, the accused would be released on his own recognizance pending trial unless the district attorney can present clear and convincing evidence to the presiding judge that release should be denied, a bail amount should be set, or imposed conditions should curtail the activities of the accused. Capital cases should be handled under a more restrictive release policy. Here there shouJd exist a presumption that the accused will be detained unless the presiding judge ~~s sufficient evidence to sustain the belief that he will neither flee nor jeopardize the safety of any person or the community. A New Approach to Pretrial Decisions A number of considerations must be evaluated if the New York State bail statutes are to be revised along the lines of other major bail reform programs. Detailed suggestions for consideration in developing legislation are found on pages 66-72, and are briefly summarized below: .Considerations for the Pretrial Decision.--The judge presiding at the arraignment of the accused should have sufficient information to allow for a reasoned pretrial decision. The police complaint sheet, the DCJS's "rap sheet," and ,where available, a repo'tt by the pretrial service agency should form the