FAQs - Pretrial

Pretrial

Q: How do I contact my officer after hours?

Answer

You may contact your officer during off-hours. Your officer will provide you with his/her cell number.

Q: What is home confinement?

Answer

Home Confinement is a bond condition which requires people to be confined to their homes and tracked in the community. The person is linked to a monitoring system through an ankle or wrist transmitter or a tracking device worn or carried 24 hours a day. With home confinement, the court determines the extent to which people are restricted case by case, requiring some individuals to remain on 24-hour-a-day lockdown at home and allowing others to leave for preapproved and scheduled absences, such as work, school, medical or mental health treatment, church, attorney appointments, court appearances, or other court ordered obligations.

Electronic monitoring is a system used to increase effectiveness in supervising defendants who are required to abide by curfew or remain in their home as a condition of pretrial release.

The home monitoring unit is part of an electronic monitoring system designed to increase the effectiveness of supervising clients who are required to abide by curfew or stay home as part of pretrial release. The home monitoring unit monitors a client to determine whether he/she is at home.

Q: What are the conditions of release?

Answer

In nearly all cases, the Court will order conditions of release as part of the bond requirements. Pretrial supervision is often ordered as a condition of release. Additionally, no defendant may possess firearms or other dangerous weapons, including ammunition while the case is pending.

Other conditions may be ordered and could include one or all of the following:

Avoid all contact with any victims or potential witnesses
Report all contact with law enforcement
Surrender passport and obtain no new passport
Electronic monitoring or home confinement
Curfew
Substance abuse testing and/or treatment
Mental health evaluation and/or counseling
Seek and/or maintain employment or attend school
Other conditions as ordered by the Court

Q: I am on Pretrial supervision, and I was arrested or cited. What do I do now?

Answer

Notify your officer within one business day if you have been arrested, cited, or questioned by law enforcement for a law violation. This includes notification of any traffic citations.

Q: What does it mean when someone is a third party custodian?

Answer

This is a condition of release that designates an individual who agrees to assume supervision of the defendant and report any violations of release conditions to the Court. The custodian must inform the Court if they believe the defendant will fail to appear, or if the defendants behavior becomes a danger to the community.

Q: Does a Pretrial Services Officer work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, also known as the "government?"

Answer

No. Pretrial Services Officers work directly for the U.S. Courts, and more specifically for all judges in the District of New Jersey. Pretrial Services Officers are neutral, their role is not to prosecute or defend your case. The role of a Pretrial Services Officer is to provide objective, unbiased, verified information to the Court and supervise the defendant in the community. The U.S. Attorneys office works for the Department of Justice.

Q: What are the types of bonds that may be set by the Court?

Answer

There are a variety of bond types ordered in the Federal Courts. They include:

Personal Recognizance Bond: Defendant is released on his/her written promise to appear at all future court proceedings.
Unsecured Bond: Defendant is released on his/her written promise to appear at all future court proceedings AND to pay the Court the full bond amount in the event he/she fails to appear.
Secured Bond: Defendants release requires cash or collateral (property) be posted with the Court prior to the defendants release from custody.
Surety Bond: Defendants release requires a bondsman, attorney, or similar party to post surety prior to the defendants release from custody. All sureties used must be on the Clerk of Courts listing of approved sureties.
Release with Conditions: In addition to the above-mentioned bonds, the Court may order pretrial supervision and reporting as a condition of release with bond. Conditions ordered may include: travel restrictions, electronic monitoring, substance abuse counseling and drug testing, and employment. Additionally, defendants are ordered to not possess any firearm, destructive devices, or other dangerous weapons while on pretrial release.

United States Pretrial Services Agency

District of New Jersey

Jonathan P. Muller, Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer

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FAQs - Pretrial

Pretrial