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Janice Mosley, Administrator
201 Poplar, Room 801
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 545-2464
janice.mosley@shelbycountytn.gov
Pretrial Services is a comprehensive criminal justice agency offering programs that are alternatives to incarceration. Its operations range from mediating disputes prior to arrest to providing supervision of offenders convicted and placed on County Probation for misdemeanor offenses. Pretrial Services helps domestic violence victims through the Criminal Justice system by providing assistance with the preparation of Orders of Protection and/or criminal summons. The agency also assists with the presentation of information that allows a bond to be set on defendants arrested and brought into the Shelby County jail. It also supervises defendants released on their own recognizance. Pretrial Services is involved in all stages of the criminal justice process.
Shelby County, the largest county in the State of Tennessee, has more than 50,000 defendants arrested each year. Linked to this high number of arrests, are many family members and friends who may find themselves involved in the criminal justice process.
The Jail Release Section secures release of qualified individuals from jail on non-financial conditions as expeditiously as possible, ensures those individuals appear in court, and provides the courts with objective information involving the facts of each case, prior arrest histories and community ties to help court officials in setting bonds.
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Pretrial Services offers other alternatives to incarceration for qualified candidates.
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Drug Court Section targets prisoners with alcohol and drug-related problems. These individuals are referred for treatment through Shelby County's General Sessions Drug Court.
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County Probation supervises misdemeanor probation, felony and misdemeanor diversion clients.
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Community Services operates a community service program as an alternative to jail for certain offenders who performs work valued about $38,000 per month;
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Court Reports Section conducts background investigations of defendants in order to prepare written reports for State Criminal Court for the purpose of determining appropriate bond;
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Citizen's Dispute Office mediates minor disagreements and handles them outside of the criminal justice process. An impartial mediator hears the case and non-binding agreements are made by all concerning parties. Citizen Dispute also handles domestic violence cases to assist with the preparation of Exparte Orders and Orders of Protections.
For contact information, hours of operation and general description of each Pretrial Services section, click on the section name below.
Jail Release
Office Hours: 24 hours daily
Male Facility: (901) 545-4209
Female Facility: (901) 379-7902
Pretrial Services Release Section is a 24-hour operation whose staff members conduct investigations into an offender's background. Based upon this information Release then makes recommendations for judges who set bail. If a defendant has strong ties to the community and the nature of his offense is non-violent, the defendant may be placed on a supervised release program operated by Pretrial Services. This office screens about 40,000 cases each year. Pretrial employees, assigned to the Release section, also interview approximately 2,5000 prisoners charged in misdemeanor cases for citation release.
Probation
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2500
County Probation Section provides supervision of clients placed on misdemeanor probation, felony diversion or misdemeanor diversion, to assure compliance with court ordered conditions of probation. It also provide services to clients designed at helping them improve their quality of life and avoiding future contact with the Criminal Justice System.
Citizens Dispute
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2520
Citizens Dispute Section helps citizens by improving their access to the Criminal Justice System and reducing the number of minor dispute cases entering the Justice System. This is accomplished through mediation instead of the traditional arrest and court processing. When appropriate, help is given to victims of domestic violence in pursuing warrants or protective orders.
Court Operations
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2464
The Court Operations Section is responsible for supervision of qualified individuals released from jail on their own recognizance. It is also responsible for notifying those individuals of court dates and ensuring their appearance in court. Court Operations provides representation in the courts to assist the Judges with objective information related to bond settings, pending cases and the disposition of cases.
Drug Court
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2500
The Drug Court Section screens defendants, arrested on drug related charges, to identify those offenders who may be eligible for the Drug Court Program. The Drug Court Program aims at helping individuals end their abuse of alcohol and other drugs and any associated criminal activity. This is accomplished by offering them an opportunity to participate in a structure treatment approach as an alternative to jail and prison.
Community Court
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2500
The Frayser Community Court Program helps improve the ?quality of life? in the Frayser area by forming a partnership with criminal justice agencies, neighborhood groups, and social service agencies. By focusing on a community service and/or a social service sentence, it provides an alternative to incarceration for defendants charged with offenses in the Frayser area. This court operates on the principles that courts are more responsive if they are located within the local community and that people need to take responsibility for their crimes and ?pay back? the community that they harmed. Offenders who commit misdemeanor crimes in Frayser are required to perform community service projects in that area.
Community Services
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2500
The Community Services Section offers an alternative to incarceration for defendants who are indigent, unable to pay their fines or for whom a sentence of incarceration is inappropriate. It ensures the successful completion of community service, as required by the Courts, for probation clients. This section operates on the principle that people should take personal responsibility for their actions and should pay for those actions by performing community service.
Mental Health
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2500
The Mental Health Advocacy Program of Pretrial Services offers assistance to the mentally ill in jail by means of release and referral to mental health centers as an alternative to incarceration. This is in cooperation with other efforts to reduce jail overpopulation. The Mental Health Section encompasses a system designed for early identification of persons with serious mental illness within the Shelby County Jail to avoid extended incarceration through diversion to alternative community and treatment programs.
Report
Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
(901) 545-2500
The Report Section produces reports for the courts that provide information used in determining appropriate court action. This section conducts background investigations of defendants for inclusion in reports employed in determining appropriate dispositions by the courts. Types of reports produced are: Bond Reports for the State Criminal Courts, Felony Diversion Reports for the Attorney General?s Office, and Misdemeanor Diversion and Pre-sentence Reports for the General Sessions Courts. Reports are also prepared to determine eligibility for Work Release and for Petitions to Suspend the Remainder of the sentence for inmates in the Shelby County Correction Center. |
