Thousands of crimes are committed by people on bail, temporary release or early release in Ireland every year. These range from assaults, burglaries, possession of firearms and drugs offences, to the most serious offences of murder and rape.

Eight of the eleven cases featured in this book resulted in loss of life; one focuses on a vicious rape by a man who was on bail at the time; another focuses on a drug dealer who offended while on bail in Cork; while another features a man who broke into the homes of several elderly citizens while he was on early release from prison. All of these cases raise disturbing questions and evoke painful memories for the victims' families. The bail laws are the subject of much debate in Ireland, but it is the human tragedy that makes the issue so real.

The actions of the people who commit these crimes leave an indelible mark on victims and their families. Out on Bail gives a voice to families who speak of the pain and suffering they have experienced, while gardai involved in investigating such crimes express their frustrations at the system.

Cases in the book include the tragedies of:

• Manuela Riedo, the 17-year-old Swiss student killed while on a visit to Galway in 2007.
• Sylvia Roche-Kelly, murdered on her 33rd birthday in Limerick.
• Retired schoolteacher Nancy Nolan who was killed in her Co. Galway home on Valentine's Day 2000.
• Brian Mulvaney, a Dublin teenager who was attacked and killed while on a night out.