NCJ Number
75739
Journal
Pretrial Services Annual Journal Volume: 3 Dated: (1980) Pages: 183-191
Date Published
1980
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Judges, prosecutors, and pretrial services officers (PSO's) in 10 demonstration districts of the Federal courts were surveyed to determine the existence and extent of conflicting expectations regarding the role of the PSO.
Abstract
A total of 329 study participants completed a questionnaire on pretrial services officers' roles. The respondents included 73 judges, 168 prosecutors, and 88 PSO's. Use of a standardized point system in making bail recommendations was supported by 27.1 percent of the judges, 43.2 percent of the prosecutors, and 6.8 percent of the pretrial personnel. A total of 20.8 percent of the judges, 17.3 percent of the prosecutors, and 40.9 percent of the PSO's felt that pretrial services officers should encourage the courts to set bail equal to the defendant's ability to pay. Initiation of bail reviews by pretrial services personnel was supported by 56.9 percent of the judges, 36.3 percent of the prosecutors, and 83.0 percent of the PSO's. Encouraging the courts to seek alternatives to cash bail as pretrial services role was supported by 81.9 percent of the judes, 47.9 percent of the prosecutors, and 95.5 percent of the PSO's. A total of 46.6 percent of the judges, 36.5 percent of the prosecutors, and 69.3 percent of the PSO's felt that pretrial services personnel should use discretion in reporting bail violations to the courts. Findings thus showed the existence of conflicts and indicated that pretrial services planners should develop methods to monitor the perceptions of other participants in the court process to clarify the functions and roles of pretrial services personnel. Footnotes, tabular data, and a bibliography listing six references are included.