The Vermont Statutes Online
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
NOTE: The online version of the Vermont Statutes does NOT yet include the actions of the 2023 legislative session. The 2023 updates should be available by the end of October.
Title 13 : Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Chapter 229 : BAIL AND RECOGNIZANCES
(Cite as: 13 V.S.A. § 7576)-
§ 7576. Definitions
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Appearance bond” means a written agreement that allows a person charged with a criminal offense to be released if the person pledges to pay the court a specified amount in the event the person fails to appear at a court proceeding.
(2) “Bail” means any security, including cash, pledged to the court to ensure that a person charged with a criminal offense will appear at future court proceedings.
(3) “Clinical assessment” means the procedures, to be conducted after a client has been screened, by which a licensed or otherwise approved counselor identifies and evaluates an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, problems, and needs for the development of a treatment plan.
(4) “Needs screening” means a preliminary systematic procedure to evaluate the likelihood that an individual has a substance abuse or a mental health condition.
(5) “Risk assessment” means a pretrial assessment that is designed to be predictive of a person’s failure to appear in court and risk of violating pretrial conditions of release with a new alleged offense.
(6) “Secured appearance bond” means a written agreement which allows a person charged with a criminal offense to be released if:
(A) the person pledges to pay the court a specified amount in the event that the person fails to appear at a court proceeding; and
(B) a portion of the bond is paid to the court prior to release.
(7) “Surety” means:
(A) a person who agrees to be responsible for guaranteeing the appearance in court of a person charged with a criminal offense; or
(B) a person who agrees to be responsible for guaranteeing that another person complies with the conditions of a peace bond under section 7573 of this title.
(8) “Surety bond” means a written agreement, in a form established by the Court Administrator, under which a surety guarantees the appearance in court of a person charged with a criminal offense, and pledges to pay the court a specified amount if the person fails to appear.
(9) “Flight from prosecution” means any action or behavior undertaken by a person charged with a criminal offense to avoid court proceedings. (Added 2001, No. 124 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. June 5, 2002; amended 2015, No. 12, § 1, eff. May 1, 2015; 2017, No. 164 (Adj. Sess.), § 5.)