Pretrial services pilot project launched Monday, July 27, 2020
Minot Daily News
A pre-trial services pilot project was launched this month in the East Central, North Central and South Central judicial districts. The program is aimed at helping low-risk defendants stay out of custody while they are awaiting the resolution of their cases and avoid further disrupting their lives and the lives of their families.
“The North Dakota Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents is excited about the opportunity the Pretrial Services Pilot Program presents,” said Travis Finck, executive director with the North Dakota Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigents, in an email.
“We are working towards providing counsel to eligible clients at the earliest possible stage, including the critical stage when bail and/or conditions of release are established. This program gives qualified individuals accused of a crime the opportunity to be released on a pretrial status and provides them with rehabilitative services when they may have been previously held in custody awaiting trial. The program reinforces the presumption of innocence bestowed upon all Americans by the Constitution of the United States of America and the State of North Dakota.”