Committee advances amended bill raising pretrial protections in domestic violence cases; restores judicial discretion and adds program, revocation standards

The Committee on Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety voted to report favorably on Bill 36-0005, an amendment to Title 16, Virgin Islands Code, Chapter 2, Section 99, after adopting an amendment that restores judicial discretion in bail determinations and adds requirements for risk assessment, program access and higher standards for bail revocation in domestic violence cases.

Senator Angel L. Boulkes Jr., the bill's sponsor, said the measure seeks to balance victim safety, judicial fairness and due process. "This legislation does not punish poverty. It does not remove judicial authority," the sponsor said. "What it does is prioritizes victim safety, promotes accountability, and introduces a system of informed balanced pretrial decision making."

Why it matters: Victim-service organizations, prosecutors and defense counsel gave the committee competing perspectives before the amendment. Family Resource Center Inc. and the Women's Coalition of Saint Croix urged stronger protections and immediate tools to reduce reoffending and post-release contact with victims. The Office of the Territorial Public Defender warned that a prior version of the bill would have imposed mandatory cash bail in a way that disproportionately…