What is the Denver Pretrial Program?

Denver Pretrial is a two phase program that provides bond recommendations to the court and uses supervision as an alternative to incarceration.

 Is Pretrial Supervision available to all defendants?

Some defendants are not eligible for any bond.  Pretrial release with or without supervision is granted to those defendants who can demonstrate that they have sufficient ties to the community and pose no threat of flight or danger if released from jail.

When is a defendant evaluated for bond recommendations?

Generally the defendant will be evaluated within the first 24 hours after their arrest and prior to their first advisement in courtroom 12T.

What is the difference between the types of bond?

There are four types of bond that can be posted to ensure a defendant’s release from jail.  They are Personal Recognizance (PR), Cash, Property, and Surety.  See below for the distinction.

• Personal Recognizance: The evaluation conducted by the Pretrial Officer within the first 24 hours after arrest will determine the defendant’s stability in the community.   Based upon standard scoring criteria, if the defendant accrues enough points, they are released on their promise to appear in court on the next court date.  If the defendant fails to appear (FTA’s), the bond is revoked and reset to the original scheduled amount. 
• Cash Bond:  The defendant places cash in the full amount of the bond on deposit with the Court Clerk.  In the event the defendant does not appear for future court dates, the cash is forfeited, and proceeds are applied to the bond.  
• Property Bond: The defendant, or their family, can provide to the Court Clerk a real property trust deed with equity of 1.5 times the amount of the bond.  In the event that the defendant does not appear at future court dates, the property is sold and proceeds are applied to the amount of the bond.
• Surety Bond:  This type of bond is obtained through a bail bondsman.  Bondsman are subject to statutory requirements under C.R.S. §12-7-109 and §16-4-112.   A defendant can hire a bondsman to guarantee to the court that the defendant will appear at all future court dates, in return the defendant will pay the bondsman a percentage of his bond.  By statute, bondsman cannot charge more than 15% of the original bond amount.  In the event that the defendant does not appear for court, the bondsman is liable to the court for the full amount of the bond, and in return the bondsman will send a “Bounty Hunter” to locate the defendant and retrieve the bondsman’s money.