A Descriptive Analysis of Pretrial Services at a Single-Jurisdictional Level

The author uses a retrospective, single-jurisdictional study to describe some of the more significant patterns of change over time in the operations of the Pretrial Services Program in Lake County, Illinois, from 1986 through 2012. The findings reveal that some of the trends and practices are consistent with legal and evidence-based practices and NAPSA standards, while other trends and patterns somewhat contradict best practices. The study suggests that pretrial practitioners need to keep in mind the basic principles of pretrial justice as their programs grow and develop.