NCJ Number
129445
Journal
Compiler Dated: (Fall 1989) Pages: 13-15
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Four studies of pretrial drug testing -- New York, Dade County in Miami, and two in Washington, D.C. -- are examined regarding prediction of pretrial misconduct.
Abstract
The New York and Dade County studies focused on whether results of drug testing can help identify defendants at higher risk for pretrial misconduct. The New York researchers found that the test results do provide information for predicting pretrial misconduct, whereas, the Miami researchers found the test results were not helpful. On the other hand, the two Washington, D.C. studies focused on the behavior of defendants in drug testing programs as the predictor of pretrial misconduct rather than the test results themselves. Results in these studies showed that the defendants who complied with the requirements of the testing programs had a lower rate of rearrest and failure to appear than those defendants who dropped out of the drug testing program. All the studies agreed that the usefulness of the drug testing may vary from one jurisdiction to another and that the findings in one jurisdiction may not be applied to another. 3 graphs