What bail and bail supervision is
After an arrest and appearance at court, the court may decide that an accused person is suitable to be released on bail or bail supervision.
Bail and bail supervision serve different purposes in the legal process.
Bail is a legal condition that allows an accused person to remain in the community while awaiting trial, provided they comply with certain conditions.
Bail supervision is a social work or third sector service that supports individuals to comply with the conditions of their bail. This often involves regular meetings with a bail supervisor to monitor compliance and provide necessary support.
If bail is granted, the person is released on certain conditions until a further appearance at court.
Our justice social work service may be asked to provide an assessment for bail suitability and bail supervision. This would involve interviewing the accused person to discuss their current circumstances, including family, employment, and accommodation details.
The aim of the service is to reduce the number of accused people held in custody on remand, provided any potential risks can be managed safely outside of prison.
The service provides updates to the court on the person’s compliance with the conditions of their supervised bail.
What happens if bail supervision is granted
If you’re accused of a crime and given bail supervision, you must agree to follow support and monitoring, and any other conditions imposed by the court.
You will make a minimum of 3 contacts each week with your bail supervision officer – or another worker outlined in your conditions – for the first month. This will reduce to 1 contact per week as a minimum.
What happens if bail or bail supervision conditions are broken
If you do not follow the bail conditions set by the court, the court will be advised and you could be remanded to prison.
More information
If you want to find out more or discuss what services are available to you, contact our justice social work service by: