Personal Liberty and Community Safety: Pretrial Release in the Criminal Court

by John S. Goldkamp, D. Weiland, P. R. Jones, M. R. Gottfredson

Overview

In this enlightening study, the authors implement a unique research approach to offer a greater understanding of policy reform of pretrial release and detention practices in the criminal courts in Boston, Miami, and Phoenix.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306448799
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	05/31/1995
Series:	Plenum Series in Crime and Justice Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	366
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

Table of Contents

1. Bail, Pretrial Release, and Detention: The Critical Need for Judicial Reform.- 2. The Development and Implementation of Voluntary Guidelines in Criminal Justice.- 3. Evidence about Guidelines.- 4. The Courts in Boston, Dade County, and Maricopa County.- 5. Design of the Research.- 6. The Consequences of Bail Decisions in the Three Courts.- 7. The Nature of Bail Decisionmaking in Maricopa County.- 8. The Nature of Bail Decisionmaking in Dade County.- 9. The Nature of Bail Decisionmaking in Boston Municipal Court.- 10. Visibility, Equity, Rationality, and Effectiveness in the Three Court Systems.- 11. Consideration of Alternative Decisionmaking Models.- 12. The Construction of Pretrial Release Decision Guidelines in the Courts.- 13. Estimating the Impact of the Guidelines.- 14. Implementation and Evaluation.- 15. The Implementation of Pretrial Release Guidelines in Maricopa County.- 16. The Implementation of Pretrial Release Guidelines (“Uniform Bond Standards”) in Dade County.- 17. The Promise of Decision Guidelines for Pretrial Release.- Appendix: Supplemental Tables and Figures.- References.

Editorial Reviews

Describes the authors' attempts to involve research in a process of examination and policy reform of pretrial release and detention practices in the criminal courts in Boston, Miami, and Phoenix. An important aim was to understand better the role of judicial discretion in problems related to pretrial release and detention, and the research documents the uneven nature of judicial decisionmaking. A theme across the jurisdictions and decisionmakers studied was that, to a notable extent, decisionmaking could not be explained and seemed partly random in nature and effect. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

‘A catalyst for moving decision makers away from traditionally held concepts regarding bail, release and detention and toward more rational and better managed procedures.'
from the Foreword by Timothy J. Murray, Director, Office of Substance Abuse Control for Metropolitan Dade County, Florida

From the Publisher