Pretrial Services
Pretrial Services Click Here To Pay Fees
On December 20, 2013, the Indiana Supreme Court created a committee to study evidence-based pre-trial release assessments and to make recommendations to the Court. The Committee recommended the Indiana Supreme Court adopt a new rule to urge Indiana trial courts to use evidence-based risk assessments to inform pretrial release decisions. On September 7, 2016, the Indiana Supreme Court issued an Order adopting Rule 26 of Criminal Procedure. Eleven Indiana counties volunteered to serve as pilot sites for the Indiana Pretrial Release Pilot Project in accordance with Indiana Supreme Court Rule 26.
Why is this important?
The primary purpose of monetary bail and other conditions of release from pretrial detention are to maximize the likelihood of an accused person's presence at trial while striving for both public safety and protection of the presumption of innocence. The prompt release of arrestees who do not pose a risk to public safety is associated with reduced recidivism and eliminates unnecessary expenses resulting from the overutilization of local jail resources. The improvement of Indiana's pretrial release practices will (a) encourage and empower trial judges to release arrestees earlier; (b) reduce pretrial detention expenses for local jails and enable many arrestees to return to their jobs and provide support for their families; (c) eliminate the unfair and often protracted incarceration of poor people who don't have the resources to purchase a bail bond or pay a bail deposit; (d) enhance the reliability of guilty pleas; and (e) realize the benefits of reduced recidivism and enhanced public safety that flow from the use of evidence-based risk assessment tools for pretrial release decisions.
Program Details:
The Whitley County Pretrial Services program was established by Whitley County criminal justice stakeholders to improve release practices and to promote the goals stated by the Indiana Supreme Court, specifically to:
- The reduction of pretrial detention expenses for the taxpayers and county jail
- Enabling defendants to return to their jobs and provide for their family
- Eliminate the unfair incarceration of defendants who do not have the financial resources to post bond
- Enhance the reliability of guilty pleas
- The reduced recidivism and enhanced public safety within Whitley County, that flow from the use of evidence-based risk assessment tools for pretrial release decisions
Program Goals:
Indiana’s pretrial system strives to achieve the "3 M’s" – maximizing public safety, maximizing court appearance, and maximizing pretrial release. Additionally, Indiana’s pretrial system follows these guiding principles:
- Fairness. A pretrial system that is fair is not based on ability to pay (bond and supervision fees), but instead is based on the assessment of objective factors relevant to public safety and court appearance
- Harm reduction. A pretrial system that reduces harm, protects the public from those who pose a danger to the community while reducing the detention of those whose risk to public safety may actually be increased as a result of pretrial detention
- Informed. A pretrial system that is informed is guided by social science research along with comprehensive case-specific information
- Cost-effectiveness. A pretrial system that is cost-effective reserves expensive jail resources for those who pose a danger to public safety and utilizes non-detention-based interventions, including pretrial supervision for those released back into the community
Program Operations:
The Whitley County Pretrial Services Program operates under the authority of the Circuit and Superior Courts of Whitley County. Day to day operations are supervised by the Whitley County Community Corrections Director, Paula Worden.
The Whitley County Pretrial Services Program focuses on promoting accountability and responsibility on the part of those under program release conditions through supervision and the offering of community based treatment.
Pretrial Services staff are responsible for conducting thorough criminal background checks; scoring a risk assessment tool based on a defendant's criminal history; interviewing defendants (to gather information regarding employment, residence, living arrangements, family information, substance use problems, military record, verifying interview information where applicable; generating and presenting Summary Reports and risk assessment reports to the court and Prosecutor’s Office and recording relevant information from the court proceedings. It should be noted that as risk increases, conditions and/or the intensity of supervision increases by Order of the presiding Judge.
Pretrial Services staff have a number of tasks including the following: conduct regularly scheduled telephonic meetings with defendants at which staff address the conditions of bond; verify address, phone number, employment, and compliance with conditions; remind defendants of their scheduled court dates; Staff provides the Prosecutor’s Office with Notices of Alleged Non-Compliance if the defendant has violated the conditions of pretrial release.
Pretrial Services Staff:
Tasha Springer, Pretrial Program Coordinator
Paula Reimers, Pretrial Officer
Taelor Maley, Pretrial Assistant
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM, excluding holidays
Office Location:
Whitley County Community Corrections 351 W. Plaza Dr. Columbia City, IN 46725
Office Contacts:
Phone: (260) 248-3113
Email: [email protected]
Payment Options:
Pretrial Services fees may be made by phone or in person, at the phone number and address listed above.
Whitley County Courthouse
101 W. Van Buren Street Columbia City, IN 46725
(260) 248-3148
Resources:
Whitley County Resource Guide
Aspin Health Brochure & Flyer
HIP Brochure
https://www.parkcenter.org/ (email to WC Park Center inquiring ab
Indiana Office of Court Services Pretrial website:
https://www.in.gov/courts/iocs/pretrial/
Indiana Office of Court Services Pretrial Rules:
https://www.in.gov/courts/iocs/files/iocs-pretrial-services-rules.pdf
Indiana Criminal Procedure, Rule 26:
https://www.in.gov/courts/rules/criminal/index.html#_Toc60037698