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Assessing Local Pretrial Justice Functions

NCJ Number
236419
Date Published
April 2011
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This guide presents a protocol designed to produce high-quality technical assistance for the pretrial stage.
Abstract
This guide is designed to help agencies and technical assistance providers produce higher quality work, build a cadre of professionals who are able to provide pretrial technical assistance and deliver a consistent process, and allow systems to self-assess or trade assessments with neighbors at a fraction of the cost. This guide assesses practices that are vital to ensuring a fully functional pretrial justice system; factors are assessed, such as the number of un-sentenced jail inmates, lengths of stay for those awaiting trial, bail decisions, and pretrial supervision practices. This handbook provides a clear structure for the consistent and uniform delivery of short-term or technical assistance while empowering local pretrial practitioners and other pretrial justice stakeholders with the analytical skills most often used by TA providers. Divided into five main sections, this handbook covers the obligations of the technical assistance (TA) provider, planning, onsite activities and protocols, the TA report, and follow-up activities. Each section contains a summary which offers a checklist for the guidance presented in the section. Appendixes