Surveys Past and Present

The first survey of pretrial services programs, conducted by the Pretrial Services Resource Center, was released in 1979; a second, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, followed in 1989. The results of those two surveys have shown pretrial program administrators how their services and practices compare to those of other programs around the country and have provided guidance for programmatic growth. The results have also guided county boards and other funding agencies looking to establish or expand pretrial services programming.

This report presents the findings from the third survey of pretrial services programs, conducted in 2001, in which a total of 202 pretrial services programs participated. The results describe where pretrial services programs stand in relation to one another, where they stand in relation to where they were in 1979 and 1989, and where they stand in relation to the standards set by the American Bar Association and the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies for services provided by pretrial programs. The report also examines what pretrial services programs are doing to meet the challenges presented by four groups that are being seen in increasing numbers in the criminal justice system since the last surveys—defendants with mental illness, juveniles charged as adults, people charged with domestic violence offenses, and women. Finally, it looks at any relationships that might exist between pretrial services program practices and jail crowding, exploring such factors as administrative locus, program scope and size, program funding and staffing, and any relationships that might exist between these factors and specific program practices and outcomes. It does not, however, seek to explain why relationships may or may not exist.