HB 2500 Summary

• Amends Arizona law to require judicial officers to consider a pretrial risk assessment and release recommendation from a statewide Pretrial Services Program when making release decisions on bailable offenses.

• Establishes a Statewide Pretrial Services Program under the Arizona Supreme Court to conduct risk assessments and make release recommendations after a person is arrested for a bailable offense.

• Requires the risk assessment instrument to be objective, standardized, based on empirical data, and must gather demographic information; prohibits discriminatory recommendations based on race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status.

• Adds a higher standard for revoking pretrial release: a court may only revoke release upon finding probable cause of a felony during release if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that no bail or conditions would reasonably ensure appearance in court, public safety, or prevent obstruction of justice.

• Sets the Pretrial Services Program to terminate on July 1, 2027 pursuant to Arizona's automatic program termination law.