Following research commissioned by the Office of Federal Detention Trustee (OFDT), the Federal pretrial services system is now in the position to remake itself into an evidence-based system. However, there are many challenges facing the implementation of evidence-based practices in pretrial services, which are reviewed in this paper and include: (1) pretrial service treatment programs are the Oakland A's of the Federal criminal justice system, compared to their post-conviction counterparts, the New York Yankees; (2) pretrial services is currently based on "common sense," custom, and imitation, rather than on scientific evidence; (3) in pretrial services, "looks" are more important than effectiveness; (4) in pretrial services, the wrong theory can lead to stupid decisions; (5) in pretrial services, actuarial data lead to more accurate decisions than personal experience and "gut" decisions; (6) in pretrial service, knowledge destruction techniques will be used to reject evidence-based practices; (7) in pretrial service, there is a high cost for ignoring the scientific evidence; and (8) in pretrial services, evidence-based practices will eventually be difficult to ignore. Federal pretrial services must embrace the overarching scientific concepts and lead staff to improved risk management, better treatment options, and more consistent and effective outcomes for the programs.