In the United States, a pretrial services report is a document used by a judicial officer, typically a magistrate, in making decisions, e.g., about bail.
[1] Typically the report must be prepared within a very limited timeframe due to the deadlines for making bail decisions.
The officer then performs a criminal record check, pursues investigative leads, and verifies information which the defendant has provided, such as address, employment, assets, and citizenship.
[2] On the basis of this information, the report will assess the defendant's likelihood of appearing for court and the level of danger he poses to the community.
[3] This article relating to law in the United States or its constituent jurisdictions is a stub.