The Pretrial Services Agency is designed to aid the courts in the initial processing of defendants, reducing jail overcrowding, and upholding public safety. The program accomplishes these tasks through screening and background information about the defendants being provided to the Judiciary at court hearings, as well as supervising defendants awaiting trial.

An integral responsibility of Pretrial Services is to provide background information to the Courts on newly arrested defendants to assist Judges in the pretrial phase of the judicial process. Pretrial Investigation Officers screen defendants who are being held at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center awaiting their first court appearance. These officers collect and verify demographic information, criminal history and other information regarding substance abuse, mental health treatment and/or medical problems. The Pretrial Investigation Officers complete a validated risk assessment based on the information collected and make a recommendation to the Courts in reference to a defendant’s bail. The defendant may be recommended for continued detention, pretrial supervision, a monetary secured bond and/or release with a promise to appear (Personal Recognizance Bond). When a recommendation for release with pretrial supervision is made, a defendant is referred to the program by the Court.

Pretrial Services are provided to the City of Winchester, and Counties of Clarke and Frederick. If the Magistrate or Judge includes the special condition of Pretrial Supervision on the Defendant’s bail, the client must contact Pretrial Services within 24 hours. Pretrial Officers provide supervision for these defendants until a final disposition is reached in their court case. When defendants are referred to the ODCS Pretrial Services Agency, there may be additional conditions ordered by a Judicial Officer. ODCS will report compliance of these conditions, as well as overall supervision compliance to the Courts.

Links and Reading Material

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Virginia Court System
• Department of Criminal Justice (DCJS)
• Road to Recovery: Addiction Resources in NSV
• The "New Norm" For Pretrial Justice in the Commonwealth of Virginia
• Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association (VCCJA)
• Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI)
• National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA)
• Old Dominion Court Services Annual Report FY 16
• Money as a Criminal Justice Stakeholder
• Fundamentals of Bail
• Exploring the Effect on Officer Recommendations, Judicial Decision-Making, and Pretrial Outcome
• Race and Gender Neutral Pretrial Risk Assessment, Release Recommendations, and Supervision: VPRAI and Praxis Revisited

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Acrobat Reader Windows Media Player Word Viewer Excel Viewer PowerPoint Viewer