The Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure govern bail and probation practices. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Criminal Procedural Rules Committee drafts these rules. Late last year, the committee published proposed changes to the rules. Many of the proposed rules, if adopted and followed, would bring about much-needed change and could reduce the number of people incarcerated in county jails on unaffordable cash bail and supervision detainers.
Unfortunately, some of the proposed changes could also do real damage. You can find the full text of the proposed rules here.
The committee invited the public to submit comments on these proposed rules. Below you can find our comment and some of those submitted by allied organizations.
You can find more information about the proposed rule changes on the court's website.