Massachusetts General Laws ch. 276 sec. 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.
Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 276 sec. 99G
- Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(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.