NCJ Number
73096
Date Published
1980
Length
170 pages
Annotation
This report describes and evaluates the District of Columbia Pretrial Service Agency based on information provided to the evaluators by the project and by site visits.
Abstract
The report was prepared to validate the agency's application for designation as an exemplary project. Evaluation results indicated that the agency is one of the oldest, largest, and most well established of the pretrial service agencies. Its primary function is to provide information and recommendations to the court on the background and community ties of defendants on whom the court must make bail determinations. In 1979, with a budget in excess of $1 million, the agency staff interviewed 21,364 defendants. This figure does not include those persons charged with traffic offenses and municipal code violations. Under the agency's governing statute, it is responsible for providing seven distinct services in the District of Columbia. These services include providing information to police to help them release citizens charged with relatively minor offenses, providing information to judges to help them develop appropriate conditions for pretrial release, providing information to court officials on the pretrial conduct of releasees, and notifying releasees of all court appearances. In addition, the agency assists releasees in securing various social services, coordinates efforts of third party custodial organizations, and provides appropriate support for additional criminal justice actions. It is concluded that the agency's pretrial services program is an exceptionally comprehensive one. The agency interviews nearly all defendants arrested in the District of Columbia and has formulated well-documented procedures for all aspects of its operation. The agency is a recognized leader in the development of the pretrial services field. Footnotes, exhibits, and appendixes presenting the agency's procedure handbook, the automated bail agency data base, endorsements, and related materials, are included.