(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a judicial officer shall order a person charged with an offense to be released on the person’s personal recognizance or upon execution of an unsecured appearance bond, on the condition that the person

Attorney's Note

Under the Alaska Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class A felonyup to 20 yearsup to $250,000
For details, see Alaska Stat. § 12.55.125(c)
lawyer at desk

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 12.30.011

  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, organization, business trust, or society, as well as a natural person. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • state: means the State of Alaska unless applied to the different parts of the United States and in the latter case it includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(1) obey all court orders and all federal, state, and local laws;
(2) appear in court when ordered;
(3) if represented, maintain contact with the person’s lawyer; and
(4) notify the person’s lawyer, who shall notify the prosecuting authority and the court, not more than 24 hours after the person changes residence.
(b) If a judicial officer determines that the release under (a) of this section will not reasonably ensure the appearance of the person or will pose a danger to the victim, other persons, or the community, the officer shall impose the least restrictive condition or conditions that will reasonably ensure the person’s appearance and protect the victim, other persons, and the community. In addition to conditions under (a) of this section, the judicial officer may, singly or in combination,

(1) require the execution of an appearance bond in a specified amount of cash to be deposited into the registry of the court, in a sum not to exceed 10 percent of the amount of the bond;
(2) require the execution of a bail bond with sufficient solvent sureties or the deposit of cash;
(3) require the execution of a performance bond in a specified amount of cash to be deposited in the registry of the court;
(4) place restrictions on the person’s travel, association, or residence;
(5) order the person to refrain from possessing a deadly weapon on the person or in the person’s vehicle or residence;
(6) require the person to maintain employment or, if unemployed, actively seek employment;
(7) require the person to notify the person’s lawyer and the prosecuting authority within two business days after any change in employment;
(8) require the person to avoid all contact with a victim, a potential witness, or a codefendant;
(9) require the person to refrain from the consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages;
(10) require the person to refrain from the use of a controlled substance as defined by Alaska Stat. Chapter 11.71, unless prescribed by a licensed health care provider with prescriptive authority;
(11) require the person to be physically inside the person’s residence, or in the residence of the person’s third-party custodian, at time periods set by the court;
(12) require the person to keep regular contact with a law enforcement officer or agency;
(13) order the person to refrain from entering or remaining in premises licensed under Alaska Stat. Title 4;
(14) place the person in the custody of an individual who agrees to serve as a third-party custodian of the person as provided in Alaska Stat. § 12.30.021;
(15) if the person is under the treatment of a licensed health care provider, order the person to follow the provider’s treatment recommendations;
(16) order the person to take medication that has been prescribed for the person by a licensed health care provider with prescriptive authority;
(17) order the person to submit to electronic monitoring;
(18) order the person to submit to a pretrial risk assessment by the Department of Corrections under Alaska Stat. Chapter 33.07;
(19) order the person to submit to supervision by a pretrial services officer under Alaska Stat. Chapter 33.07, which may include the use of electronic monitoring;
(20) order the person to comply with any other condition that is reasonably necessary to ensure the appearance of the person and to ensure the safety of the victim, other persons, and the community; and
(21) require the person to comply with a program established under Alaska Stat. § 47.38.020 if the person has been charged with an alcohol-related or substance-abuse-related offense that is an unclassified felony, a class A felony, a sexual felony, or a crime involving domestic violence.
(c) In determining the conditions of release under this chapter, the court shall consider the following:

(1) the nature and circumstances of the offense charged;
(2) the weight of the evidence against the person;
(3) the nature and extent of the person’s family ties and relationships;
(4) the person’s employment status and history;
(5) the length and character of the person’s past and present residence;
(6) the person’s record of convictions and any pending criminal charges;
(7) the person’s record of appearance at court proceedings;
(8) assets available to the person to meet monetary conditions of release;
(9) the person’s reputation, character, and mental condition;
(10) the effect of the offense on the victim, any threats made to the victim, and the danger that the person poses to the victim;
(11) any other facts that are relevant to the person’s appearance or the person’s danger to the victim, other persons, or the community; and
(12) the pretrial risk assessment provided by a pretrial services officer, if available.
(d) In making a finding regarding the release of a person under this chapter,

(1) except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the burden of proof is on the prosecuting authority that a person charged with an offense should be detained or released with conditions described in (b) of this section or trial in certain cases” class=”unlinked-ref” datatype=”S” sessionyear=”2023″ statecd=”AK”>Alaska Stat. § 12.30.016;
(2) there is a rebuttable presumption that there is a substantial risk that the person will not appear and the person poses a danger to the victim, other persons, or the community, if the person is

(A) charged with an unclassified felony, a class A felony, a sexual felony, or a felony under Alaska Stat. § 28.35.030 or 28.35.032;
(B) charged with a felony crime against a person under Alaska Stat. Chapter 11.41, was previously convicted of a felony crime against a person under Alaska Stat. Chapter 11.41 in this state or a similar offense in another jurisdiction, and less than five years have elapsed between the date of the person’s unconditional discharge on the immediately preceding offense and the commission of the present offense;
(C) charged with a felony offense committed while the person was on release under this chapter for a charge or conviction of another offense;
(D) charged with a crime involving domestic violence, and has been convicted in the previous five years of a crime involving domestic violence in this state or a similar offense in another jurisdiction;
(E) arrested in connection with an accusation that the person committed a felony outside the state or is a fugitive from justice from another jurisdiction, and the court is considering release under Alaska Stat. Chapter 12.70.
(e) If the supreme court establishes a schedule of bail amounts or conditions of release for misdemeanor offenses, the schedule must include a condition providing that a correctional facility shall, at the time of release, conduct a chemical test of the breath of a person who has been arrested and who is intoxicated and shall detain the person until the test result indicates that the person’s breath has less than 0.08 grams of alcohol for each 210 liters of breath or, with the consent of the person, release the person to another person who is willing and able to provide care for the person.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Chapter 30 Contents