An Evaluation of Federal Pretrial Services Agencies' Impact On Pretrial Decisions and Outcomes

Abstract

In 1966 Congress created demonstration pretrial services agencies in ten federal district courts to aid judges in complying with the Bail Reform Act of 1966. This article used secondary analysis of data collected as part of the demonstration project to determine its impact on pretrial release decisions and defendant conduct. The results suggest that the agencies did create changes in the type of release conditions through changes in judicial decision making. Furthermore, these changes did not create significant increases in the rates of pretrial misconduct as feared by some. The final discussion focuses on the relationship between the agencies and the earlier Bail Reform Act of 1966.

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