Vol. 36, Number 10—October 2004

Workload Grows for Officers in
Probation and Pretrial Services

Within the federal Judiciary, the role of probation and pretrial services officers is to investigate and supervise pretrial services defendants and convicted offenders. The graph shows that between 1993 and 2003, the workload of pretrial services and probation officers has grown steadily.

Between 1993 and 2003, the number of persons under supervision by pretrial and probation officers increased 21 percent while the number of pretrial cases activated and presentence reports prepared grew 35.6 percent. In the 12-month period ending September 30, 2003, there were 146,145 defendants and offenders under supervision by 650 pretrial services and 4,560 probation officers. In the same 12-month period, officers prepared 67,744 presentence reports and activated 97,317 pretrial cases.

In general, a pretrial services officer will monitor compliance by defendants with conditions of pretrial release imposed by the court, which may include substance abuse testing and/or treatment, mental health treatment, house arrest, or electronic monitoring. Supervision is meant to reduce the likelihood of a defendant's failure to appear on scheduled court dates, commit crime, or otherwise pose a danger to any other person or the community.

Among other duties, a probation officer enforces offender compliance with the imposed sentence, checking offender conduct and condition through home or office visits, providing treatment in substance abuse and mental health cases; monitoring home confinement and other alternatives to incarceration; and generally working to bring about improvements in the conduct and condition of the offender, which ultimately, ensures community safety.

Officers investigate and report to judicial officers on defendants and offenders' backgrounds, including criminal history, personal history, and substance abuse history. The reports provide recommendations to the judicial officer to assist in pretrial release and sentencing decisions.