Opinion ID: 167730
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Consequences under the Bail Reform Act

Text: Our decision has significant consequences under the provisions of the Act for 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) defendants at different stages of the criminal justice process: awaiting trial, pending sentencing, and pending appeal. The Act contemplates varying levels of scrutiny for defendants as they proceed through the court system. See U nited States v. Kills Enemy, 3 F.3d 1201, 1203 (8th Cir. 1993) (contrasting pretrial releasees with convicted persons awaiting sentence, and noting that the latter are “no longer entitled to a presumption of innocence or presumptively entitled to [their] freedom”). Nevertheless, a defendant charged with a crime of violence must meet a heightened standard at each level. Generally, the Act allows the detention of a defendant “pending trial only if a judicial officer finds ‘that no condition or combination of conditions w ill reasonably assure the appearance of the person as required and the safety of any other person and the community.’” United States v. Cisneros, 328 F.3d 610, 616 (10th Cir. 2003) (quoting 18 U.S.C. § 3142(e)). W hen a crime of violence is involved, however, a judicial officer must hold a hearing on motion of the government to determine if any conditions would permit the safe release of the charged defendant. § 3142(f)(1)(A). Pending sentencing, the presumption is that a defendant w ill be detained. M ost defendants, however, may be released upon a showing “by clear and convincing evidence that the person is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the -4- safety of any other person or the community.” 18 U.S.C. § 3143(a)(1). In contrast, a defendant who has been found guilty of a crime of violence and who is awaiting imposition or execution of sentence is to be “detained unless . . . there is a substantial likelihood that a motion for acquittal or new trial will be granted; or . . . an attorney for the Government has recommended that no sentence of imprisonment be imposed on the person,” and there is “clear and convincing evidence that the person is not likely to flee or pose a danger to any other person or the community.” § 3143(a)(2). Pending appeal, bail for most defendants must “be denied unless the court finds that the appeal ‘raises a substantial question of law or fact likely to result in reversal or an order for a new trial.’” United States v. Affleck, 765 F.2d 944, 952 (10th Cir. 1985) (quoting 18 U.S.C. § 3143(b)(2)). The provision applicable to a defendant found guilty of a crime of violence and sentenced to a term of imprisonment states simply “[t]he judicial officer shall order that [the defendant] . . . be detained.” § 3143(b)(2).