This report evaluates the impact of a new method of risk assessment and release recommendation adopted by the D.C. Pretrial Service Agency (PSA) in July 1980 by comparing outcomes for 18-month periods before and after the change.
The new method provides separate assessments of danger and flight risks, as well as recommended release conditions to try to reduce risks to acceptable levels. These conditions include limitations on behavior such as requirements to live at a certain address, third party custody, drug abuse treatment, or periodic reporting to PSA or another organization. Under the new approach, PSA increased its recommendations for unrestricted personal recognizance (PA) release and for nonfinancial release. PSA also reduced the average number of conditions recommended for defendants. These changes affected judges' decisions and defendants' subsequent release outcomes. Unrestricted PR releases increased, although total rates of nonfinancial release were unchanged. Judges also set fewer conditions for defendants. Comparative analysis revealed that failure-to-appear and pretrial arrest rates remained virtually the same. Thus, less restrictive release practices did not increase pretrial misconduct rates. Evaluation results suggested that a quantitative forecasting model has much merit. Footnotes. (Author abstract modified)