Rule 3.131(a) of the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure states that
"…every person charged with a crime or violation of municipal or county ordinance shall be entitled to pretrial release on reasonable conditions."

The goal of the Sarasota County Pretrial Services Program is to provide accurate and unbiased information to the Court for making decisions regarding the custody or release of persons accused of a crime and to reduce the potential for failure to appear for court or the rearrest of the person while on supervised release.

The Sarasota County Pretrial Services Program began operations in June 1996. The staff gathers and provides information about all arrestees charged with criminal offenses. Pretrial Services staff obtain background information concerning the defendant's family, residence, employment, health, prior and pending criminal cases, probation status, etc. Program then provide judicial officers with verified information for purposes of determining pretrial detention or appropriate release conditions for defendants at their first court hearing, called the First Appearance hearing. In addition, for defendants released to the program, staff monitors defendants’ compliance with their conditions of release, notifies them of future court dates, and assists them with court appearance matters.

First Appearance

Pretrial Services staff provides verified information regarding a defendant’s community ties and previous criminal history to judges at First Appearance. This information assists them in making informed decisions when determining whether to detain a defendant or set monetary or non-monetary conditions of release. Staff also interviews victims of domestic violence and provides this information to the court.

Supervised Release

The Pretrial Services Program also provides judges with another release option, instead of a monetary bond or "ROR" (release on own recognizance). Pretrial Services staff monitors defendants who are ordered to "supervised release." Defendants must report regularly to the Pretrial staff until their case is disposed, and may sometimes be required to comply with special court-ordered conditions such as random urinalysis, drug and alcohol evaluations, AA/NA meetings, curfews, etc.