PRE-TRIAL SERVICES INSTITUTE OF WESTCHESTER, INC EVALUATION REPORT AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT

• NCJ Number: 59326
• Author(s): H SILVERSTEIN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 188 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES OF THE PRETRIAL SERVICES INSTITUTE OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY, INC., (PTSI) IN NEW YORK ARE EVALUATED IN THIS REPORT, INCLUDING A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS AND PROGRAM IMPACT ON THE JUSTICE SYSTEM.

Abstract

THE EVALUATION OF PTSI, A PRETRIAL RELEASE PROGRAM, WAS BEGUN IN LATE 1977 AND COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY 1979. AMONG ITS PRIMARY MANDATES, PTSI WAS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER AND RATE OF DEFENDANTS RELEASED ON RECOGNIZANCE, REDUCE THE NUMBER AND RATE OF DEFENDANTS WHO FAILED TO MAKE REQUIRED COURT APPEARANCES, AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO DEFENDANTS WHICH WOULD ENABLE THEM TO FULFILL THEIR OBLIGATIONS TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE EVALUATION STUDY OBSERVED THREE RELATED ASPECTS OF THE PTSI PROGRAM: PTSI PROCESS OR PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS WITHIN SIX WESTCHESTER COUNTY JURISDICTIONS, A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS, AND AN IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF PTSI ON THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. SEVERAL METHODS WERE DEVELOPED IN PERFORMING THE EVALUATION, INCLUDING A PANEL STUDY, CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES, AND INTERVIEW SURVEYS. MAJOR FINDINGS SHOW THAT PTSI IS A WELL ORGANIZED, HIGHLY COORDINATED, AND EFFICIENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICE. IN ITS FIRST 2 YEARS OF OPERATION, PTSI HAS EFFECTED A MODEST INCREASE IN THE RATE OF DEFENDANTS RELEASED ON RECOGNIZANCE, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN COURT AGREEMENTS WITH PTSI DEFENDANT RECOMMENDATIONS, AND EFFICIENT SUPPORT AND FOLLOWUP SERVICES FOR DEFENDANT CLIENTS (DEMONSTRATING A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEFENDANTS FAILING TO APPEAR IN COURT). PTSI SHOULD EXPAND ITS SOCIAL SERVICE AND SELF-EVALUATION COMPONENTS BY USING FIELD PERSONNEL IN THESE TASKS. ALSO, A RELATIVELY SIMPLE RESTRUCTURING OF PTSI RECORDKEEPING WOULD ENABLE PTSI TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE INTERNAL RESEARCH PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PRECISELY IDENTIFY THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF PROGRAM OBJECTIVES. PTSI SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE SUPPORTED BY WESTCHESTER COUNTY BECAUSE IT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE AND HAS BEEN COST EFFECTIVE. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED AS WELL AS APPENDIXES CONTAINING DEFENDANT INTERVIEW PROTOCOL AND METHODOLOGICAL NOTES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--PRG)