Pennsylvania HR 165: A Resolution recognizing April 15, 2017, as a day to honor the lifetime achievements and lasting influence of Jackie Robinson in Pennsylvania.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1221
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 165
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY DALEY, MADDEN, FREEMAN, KHAN, HILL-EVANS, PIELLI,
HOHENSTEIN, SANCHEZ, STEELE AND GREEN, APRIL 1, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, APRIL 1, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a
study and issue a report on the status of the pretrial
detention practices and pretrial detainee populations in this
Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, Pretrial detainees comprise approximately one-third
of the total incarcerated population of this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's county jails house approximately
20,000 pretrial detainees; and
WHEREAS, Pretrial detainees comprise approximately 80% of
county jail populations; and
WHEREAS, County jail records, requested through the right-to-
know legal mechanism, suggest that the average pretrial
detention duration is at least 50 days and likely close to 150
days; and
WHEREAS, Pretrial detention can lead to the loss of an
individual's job or home; and
WHEREAS, Pretrial detainees often suffer from strained or
lost relationships with loved ones because of their
incarceration; and
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WHEREAS, Commonwealth or county government action that leads
directly to the suffering of an individual, particularly an
individual not yet tried, sentenced or found guilty, should be
minimized, undertaken with diligence and cited, recorded and
made available to the public in the form of accessible records;
and
WHEREAS, Pretrial detention is enormously expensive to
taxpayers, with the cost of jailing a single pretrial detainee
for one year surpassing the State's per capita income and the
total annual pretrial detention cost approaching $1 billion; and
WHEREAS, Aside from the Department of Corrections' County
Statistics and General Information reports, which provide only
an estimate of the total pretrial detainee population in this
Commonwealth, Statewide records that inform the public of the
nature of the pretrial detainee population do not currently
exist; and
WHEREAS, Many State agencies, county governments, nonprofit
organizations, coalitions and public-private partnerships
interested in criminal justice could benefit from an improved
understanding of the pretrial detention practices in this
Commonwealth; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study and issue a
report on the status of the pretrial detention practices and
pretrial detainee populations in this Commonwealth; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the study:
(1) describe county-level pretrial practices, including
the presence or absence of pretrial population records,
dedicated pretrial offices, judicial review mechanisms for
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detention decisions and formal arrestee interviews prior to
preliminary arraignments;
(2) describe the pretrial populations of county jails,
including the average and total sizes of pretrial
populations, the probation detainee populations, the
populations held on unmet cash bail, the populations held on
remand, the populations held on a misdemeanor offense and the
basic demographics of these populations, including sex, age
and race; and
(3) identify gaps in the ability of publicly available
records to describe the pretrial populations of county jails
and the pretrial population of this Commonwealth as a whole;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission consult
with:
(1) relevant State agencies;
(2) county governments of this Commonwealth; and
(3) nongovernmental organizations with justice system
expertise, including academic centers and nonprofit
organizations;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission make
recommendations on steps to be taken to make improvements to
pretrial detention practices, information on pretrial detainee
populations and accessibility to records regarding pretrial
detainee populations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission issue a
report of its findings and recommendations no later than 12
months after the adoption of this resolution and submit the
report to:
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(1) the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the
Senate;
(2) the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the House
of Representatives;
(3) the chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Judiciary Committee of the Senate; and
(4) the chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives.
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