NCJ Number
93227
Date Published
1983
Length
228 pages
Annotation
These hearings focused on the pretrial services agencies (PSA) program established by Title II of the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 in order to consider the Judicial Conference's recommendation to make the PSA's independent agencies and expand them to all Federal jurisdictions. The committee also considered H.R. 2841 to extend the PSA program to Federal judicial districts.
Abstract
A panel of witnesses consisting of a U.S. district judge accompanied by probation and pretrial services specialists strongly supported the Judicial Conference's recommendations and described their positive experiences with PSA's. They cited the impact of PSA's on increasing the release rate of accused persons while, in many instances, reducing crime on bail and failure to appear. Witnesses also contended that the PSA system saved money because it permitted early screening for those defendants eligible for pretrial release and allowed judges to make intelligent value judgments. The director of the Pretrial Resources Center supported PSA expansion and suggested that an independent branch with the U.S. Court administration establish and monitor standards for PSA's and that these agencies be allowed to conduct other pretrial screening functions. The director of the District of Columbia PSA favored the bill, but felt that the service should be mandated rather than voluntary. Other witnesses summarized the preliminary findings of a national evaluation of pretrial release and expressed the Federal Probation Officers' Association's support for PSA expansion. The second day of hearings concentrated on the experiences of PSA's in the field, hearing testimony from judges, magistrates, prosecutors, district attorneys, and probation and pretrial services officers representing the eastern and southern districts of New York. These witnesses discussed their experiences with PSA's over 5 years and whether a PSA should be an independent agency or controlled by the probation services. They expressed general support for the bill. Witnesses' prepared statements are included.