Bureau of Justice Statistics SPECIAL REPORT – Pretrial Release of Felony Defendants in State Courts, November 2007
Between 1990 and 2004, 62% of felony defendants in State courts in the 75 largest counties were released prior to the disposition of their case. Beginning in 1998, financial pretrial releases, requiring the posting of bail, were more prevalent than non-financial releases. This increase in the use of financial releases was mostly the result of a decrease in the use of release on recognizance (ROR), coupled with an increase in the use of commercial surety bonds. These findings are from a multi-year analysis of felony cases from the biennial State Court Processing Statistics (SCPS)…CLICK ON THE PDF BELOW TO SEE THE FULL REPORT.
