Assessment of Pretrial Urine-Testing in the District of Columbia: Periodic Urine Testing as a Signaling Device for Pretrial Release Risk

• NCJ Number: 107746
• Author(s): A M J Yezer; R P Trost; M A Toborg; J P Bellassai; C Quintos
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 25 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Toborg Associates, Inc
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Monograph No. 5

Annotation

This monograph considers whether the relative success of defendants while in the District of Columbia's pretrial drug-testing program (urinalysis) is associated with different rates of pretrial misconduct and whether the testing program can be viewed as a 'signaling device' for identifying defendants as either high or low pretrial release risks.

Abstract

The analysis covers defendants arrested during an 8-month period (June 1984-January 1985) shortly after the pretrial services agency's (PSA's) testing program began. During this period, certain drug-using defendants released to await trial were randomly assigned to three groups: periodic urine testing before trial, drug treatment, and neither testing nor treatment (control group). A total of 1,874 defendants were placed in the three groups. Statistical analyses were performed by estimating pretrial rearrest, failure-to-appear, and overall pretrial misconduct equations. Defendants who participated in the urine-testing program performed markedly better than other defendants, and those who dropped out did notably worse. Those who participated in urine testing also did better than those referred to treatment or the control group. The testing program is an effective 'signaling' mechanism. 6 tables, 2 footnotes, and 13 references.