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3 <br /> Attachment 1 <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> TO: Frank Clifton, County Manager <br /> FROM: Lisa Henty, Budget and Management Analyst <br /> RE: Pretrial Services Update <br /> DATE: August 13, 2012 <br /> Pretrial Services in North Carolina <br /> As of March 2012, there were thirty-one pretrial programs in North Carolina. The vast majority <br /> of these programs occur in the piedmont or central region of the state. A significant factor <br /> supporting this pattern would be the population density of these counties. This is not to say <br /> that all counties that have pretrial programs are large, but since the tangible savings comes <br /> from preventing jail bed overcrowding, it makes sense that most programs are in population <br /> dense counties. <br /> As it currently stands, there are no federal or state regulations pertaining to the set up and <br /> operation of pretrial programs in North Carolina. The vast majority of the thirty-one programs <br /> are run directly by the local county. One is run through the Sheriff's Office and the remaining <br /> three are run via a local non-profit. <br /> The North Carolina Senate has proposed SB 756, which passed its second and third reading in <br /> June 2011, would require all pretrial programs to wait at least 48 hours before interviewing <br /> clients and recommending pretrial release. The bill is currently stalled in the House, referred <br /> back to a subcommittee in June 2012. The bill gained momentum from bail bondsmen <br /> lobbying, particularly in Mecklenburg County because of the implementation of this program. <br /> Given the size of Orange County and the potential releases in any given year, the passage of this <br /> bill would seriously jeopardize the effectiveness of this program at the local level. <br /> Non-Profit Profile <br /> Pretrial Services for Chatham and Orange Counties, Inc. (Pretrial Services) is located in <br /> Hillsborough, formerly at 100 North Churton Street, and just recently relocated to the <br /> Courthouse among the Sheriff's space in the basement. It is a small, shared office with both the <br /> Director and the Coordinator. <br /> Currently, the operation relies on one full-time and one part-time individual; in the past some <br /> contractors were used to help fill in increased caseloads. However, due to the elimination of <br /> the state grant for alternative sentencing in 2011-12 all operations will remain in-house for the <br /> 2012-13 fiscal year. <br />