How does a defendant get released from jail before trial?

In Ramsey County, pre-trial release screening, recommendations and monitoring are done by Project Remand. Project Remand is a private, non-profit organization that is contracted by the county, to evaluate defendants for release and then supervise defendants who are released with conditions.
Inmates are screened by Remand 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Remand staff are notified from the Law Enforcement Center once a defendant has been booked and charged.

Remand staff obtain a criminal history and interview the defendant. The Remand staff get the names and phone numbers of people who can verify the information given by the defendant. Remand staff call to verify the information. The Remand staff will attempt to call you to explain the arraignment process and to let you know when the defendant will appear in court.

If you don’t speak English, Project Remand staff can use an interpreter or access the language line to help you communicate with them.

Before the defendant appears in court, a bail evaluation is completed by Project Remand. The bail evaluation is an assessment instrument which predicts a defendant’s likelihood of failing to appear in court and pretrial re-arrest. The assessment is a tool that assigns points for convictions and specific areas of the defendant’s life. For example, a felony conviction is assigned more points than a misdemeanor conviction. The higher the total score, the more the defendant is viewed as a risk to not appear in court or to reoffend by committing another crime.

The bail evaluation includes a complete history of criminal convictions of the defendant. When all the points are gathered, the final number of points is a basis for Project Remand to make their recommendation for release of the defendant to the judge.

Project Remand screens defendants for eligibility for a public defender. It also screens for chemical/alcohol problems and mental health problems.

Remand staff present the bail evaluation to the prosecutor, defense attorney and judge in court, and make release recommendations.

If a release with conditions (conditional release) is ordered, it allows a defendant to be released from jail. Conditional release lets the defendant leave jail upon certain conditions such as monitoring to ensure there is no contact with the victim, or chemical dependency treatment. Remand will supervise the defendant while he/she awaits trial.

In return, the released defendant must agree to follow the conditions, appear in court, remain law-abiding, stay in regular contact with designated Remand staff and maintain a permanent address.

The Remand staff will implement the release decision ordered by the judge. If the judge issues a domestic abuse no contact order, Remand staff will explain the conditions of the domestic abuse no contact order along with any other conditions of release issued by the judge. The Remand staff also will call you and inform you of the judge’s decision. If your contact phone number changes, it is a good idea to call Project Remand, 651-266-2992, and update your number if you want updates from Project Remand. Remand will mail a letter to you that includes a copy of the conditional release order. The letter tells you the defendant’s next court date and how to contact the Remand staff.

If the defendant violates the conditions of release, you can call Project Remand 651-266-2992 and report the violation. You also should call the police and file a police report if the violation is a new crime. If it is a new crime, the Remand staff may request an arrest warrant for the defendant.

You may contact a confidential advocate at St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project 651-645-2824 who can discuss with you the decision to report the violation and how to report it.

NEXT: How does a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor domestic violence case move through the criminal justice system? >>

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