This report presents the findings of the evaluation of the Family Violence Bail (FVB) pilot. The pilot was a judicial initiative led by Judge John Walker with the support of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the New Zealand Police (Police). It was introduced to two courts (Porirua and Christchurch) in 2015 and has since been rolled out to 12 others, most recently to Waitakere in 2018. The pilot’s focus is to achieve more informed decisions about bail in family violence cases through providing Judicial Officers with relevant, timely and consistent information to allow them to assess risk, and thus make decisions that are more likely to increase victims’ safety.
The purpose of this evaluation is to provide MoJ with information on the outcomes of the FVB pilot, effectiveness of its process and impact on stakeholders since its implementation. Specifically, the evaluation sought to investigate whether the pilot is achieving its aim of assisting Judicial Officers to make more informed bail decisions, alongside the impact of its introduction on stakeholders. It will also be used to assist with decision making on the future of the initiative.

To do this, the evaluation posed four Key Evaluative Questions (KEQs) focused on: the extent to which the pilot was achieving the intended outcome of safer bail decisions (KEQ1), the impact it has had on key stakeholder groups (KEQ2), the effectiveness of its practical application (i.e. processes and activities) (KEQ3), and what are the learnings and improvements to be made (KEQ4). (From the Executive summary). Record #8155