NCJ Number
116901
Date Published
1988
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study presents findings from interviews with 25 District of Columbia Superior Court hearing commissioners and trial judges who had recently heard criminal cases; interviews were conducted approximately 1 year after the start of the District of Columbia's urine-testing program for arrestees and pretrial releasees.
Abstract
Interview topics included the ways in which judges use urine-testing information, their views about how the current drug-testing program compared with the situation prior to the program, and their opinions about the program's impact and the nature of the drug-crime problems in the District of Columbia. Generally, the drug-testing program was rated highly by the judges and hearing commissioners interviewed. Their confidence in the program stemmed largely from the rapid turnaround time for test results; the prompt appearances of a Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) representative in court for violations hearings; the failure to date of all legal challenges against the program, its procedures, or equipment; and a perception that the program is well-managed and competently staffed. The interviewees were impressed that the defense rarely challenged the drug-test results. PSA's information on test results and compliance by released defendants was considered excellent and reliable, as was the drug-testing program itself. 27 footnotes.