NCJ Number
158389
Date Published
1987
Length
33 pages
Annotation
Twenty-five superior court hearing commissioners and trial judges who had recently heard criminal cases in the District of Columbia were interviewed approximately 1 year after the March 1984 start of the Pretrial Services Agency's (PSA) drug testing program to determine the ways in which they use the urinalysis information, their views about the program and its impact, and their views about the drug-crime problems in the District of Columbia.
Abstract
Results revealed general confidence in the drug testing program. This confidence stems from the fast turnaround time for test results, the prompt appearance of a PSA representative in court when needed for violation hearings, the failure of all legal challenges to the program and its procedures, the uniform testing and monitoring procedures, and the general feelings that the program is well managed and competently staffed. PSA information on test results and compliance by released defendants was considered excellent and reliable, as was the drug testing program itself. Judges typically commented that they needed to know when defendants were taking drugs. 27 reference notes