PRETRIAL SERVICES AGENCY for the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA

PSA is a Federal Executive Branch Agency | www.PSA.gov | 202-220-5500

Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia

Key Data and Operational Information 

February 2024 

The Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia (PSA) is a federal agency created by an act 

of Congress (the District of Columbia Bail Agency Act) in 1967.1 Under the National Capital 

Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 (Revitalization Act), PSA was 

established as an independent entity within the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency 

(CSOSA) in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.2

 

The mission of PSA is to promote pretrial justice and enhance community safety. In fulfilling this 

mission, PSA assists judicial officers in both the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (DCSC)

and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (USDC) by conducting a risk 

assessment for every arrested person who will be presented in court, identifying detention eligibility 

and formulating release recommendations for judges to consider, as appropriate, based on legal 

requirements governing release3

 informed by the arrestee’s demographic information, criminal 

history, and substance use and/or mental health information. 

PSA was among the first pretrial agencies to use a risk assessment instrument4 (RAI) and has used 

some form of risk assessment since its inception. Throughout this time, the Agency has leveraged 

developments in science and best practices to refine and improve its protocols and instruments. 

PSA's RAI was designed exclusively for the District of Columbia using a data set consisting of 

defendants assigned to pretrial supervision in the District of Columbia. The RAI predicts each 

person’s risk of failure to appear and rearrest by evaluating 43 factors from five domains: criminal 

history, current charge, criminal justice system status, drug test results and defendant 

social/demographic attributes. The RAI produces numeric scores that correlate to each defendant’s 

likelihood of court appearance and likelihood of remaining arrest-free during the pretrial release 

period. The numeric scores then are translated to risk levels by PSA. These levels are used to 

develop recommended release conditions. 

The District of Columbia (DC or District) operates a bail system that promotes clear and reasoned 

decisions about release or detention. The foundation of this system is the DC bail statute, which 

emphasizes the use of least restrictive release conditions for eligible defendants, provides an option 

of preventive detention for those who pose an unacceptable risk to the community, and limits the use 

of money-based detention. PSA employs evidence-based practices to help judges make appropriate 

and effective bail decisions. PSA provides supervision and treatment services intended to reasonably 

1 Subchapter I. District of Columbia Bail Agency [Pretrial Services Agency]. | D.C. Law Library (dccouncil.gov). 2 H.R.1963 - 105th Congress (1997-1998): National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 | Congress.gov | Library of 

Congress. As an independent federal entity under the Executive Branch, PSA is a separate agency from the Court Services and Offender Supervision 

Agency (CSOSA), led by its own Director, with no reporting relationship to CSOSA’s Director. 3 Subchapter II. Release and Pretrial Detention. | D.C. Law Library (dccouncil.gov)

4 To be fair and effective, RAIs must be tested regularly to ensure they produce valid results for the population being served and are 

unbiased with respect to race, gender, or other factors. PSA’s RAI was most recently validated in 2018 and a revalidation will be 

completed in FY 2024.
2 

assure, in accordance with DC Code § 23-1321, that defendantsreturn to court and do not engage in 

criminal activity pending their trial and/or sentencing. PSA’s efforts focus on creating an 

information-based and data-driven organization that meets the needs of the judges, protects the rights 

of defendants, and remains cognizant of the Agency’s responsibility to the DC community. The 

result is enhanced public safety, a fairer and more effective system of release and detention, and 

judicious use of jail resources.

PSA shares the system-wide concerns regarding unacceptable trends related to violent crime in the 

District and provides the information and data below to help inform strategic planning, legislative

proposals, and other operational decision making. 

Trends in Release and Rearrest Rates

Historically, approximately 90% of all defendants awaiting trial in the District of Columbia have 

been released to the community, either on personal recognizance or personal recognizance with

conditions, the latter of which is more commonly referred to as “PSA supervision.” Over the last 

five fiscal years, the DCSC release rate has trended downward from 94% during FY 2019 to 87% 

during FY 2023. During this same five-year period, an average of 90% of defendants have remained 

arrest-free while awaiting trial in the community. Approximately 68% of those rearrested were 

rearrested for a misdemeanor and only 1% percent of defendants released to the community pending 

trial were rearrested for a violent crime. In FY 2023, a total of 14,561 defendants were released to 

the community while awaiting trial and 92% of them remained arrest-free rate.

Similar to the decline in the overall release rate, the release rate for defendants charged with violent 

crimes has trended downward during the last five fiscal years. During FY 2019, approximately 50% 

of defendants charged with violent crimes were released to the community, as compared to FY 2023, 

when approximately 36% were released. During FY 2023, the period covering October 1, 2022 – 

July 20, 2023, 37% of defendants charged with violent crimes were released pretrial into the 

community. From the enactment of the District’s “Prioritizing Public Safety Emergency Act” on 

July 20, 2023 to the end of FY 2023, this number decreased to 29%. For the same time period, the 

arrest-free rate remained stable.

Rearrest Rates for Defendants Charged with Violent Crimes

Recent legislative changes have been aimed at reducing incidents in which a defendant awaiting trial

on a violent charge is rearrested on a subsequent violent charge. For context, during the five fiscal 

years under the prior legislative standard, approximately 2% of defendants awaiting trial in the

community for a charge statutorily defined as a “crime of violence” were rearrested and charged 

with a subsequent crime of violence. In FY 2023, a total 897 of the 14,561 defendants released to 

the community while awaiting trial were charged with a crime of violence. Of those 897 defendants, 

1.2% were rearrested for a crime of violence. 

Performance Indicators

PSA uses four key performance indicators (KPI) to monitor organizational effectiveness: judicial 

concurrence, continued pretrial release, arrest-free rate, and court appearance rate. Over the last five 

fiscal years, average outcomes for all KPIs were:
3 

KPI Average

Outcome 

(FY19 – 

FY23)

Judicial Concurrence Rate 

Percentage of cases in which initial release orders match PSA

recommendations.

77%

Continued Pretrial Release Rate

Percentage of defendants who remain on release at the 

conclusion of the supervision period without a pending 

request for removal or revocation due to non-compliance.

87%

Arrest-Free Rate

Percentage of defendants who remain arrest-free during the pretrial

period.

90%

Appearance Rate

Percentage of cases where defendants awaiting trial in the 

community make all scheduled court appearances during the fiscal 

year.

89%

These outcomes notwithstanding, PSA continues to leverage data and science to evaluate and

improve its performance. Current examples of this include our sentinel event review process and risk 

assessment revalidation.

PSA rigorously reviews all “sentinel events,” which are defined as any events involving a defendant 

under supervision who is subsequently charged for a new crime involving a firearm and resulting in 

significant bodily injury and/or loss of life. The goal of sentinel event reviews is to examine our 

processes and practices to determine whether there are gaps in policy, training, or resources that may 

have impacted the outcome. PSA also uses the reviews as an opportunity to identify trends and 

themes amongst the defendant population to ensure that our system is designed to be responsive to 

not only their risks, but also their needs. 

In addition to this, we are currently preparing for the second independent revalidation of our risk 

assessment instrument. Our instrument, which was designed exclusively for the District of Columbia 

adult pretrial population, predicts each defendant’s risks of failure to appear in court and rearrest. 

For the 2024 revalidation process, we have asked the independent contractor to conduct specialized 

analyses to help us better predict the risk of (1) pretrial non-compliance for individuals charged with

firearms offenses, and (2) more accurately predict the risk of rearrest on homicide offenses during 

the pretrial period. Results of this study will be used to refine our risk assessment instrument and 

better inform release condition recommendations and supervision strategies.

PSA continues to foster strong collaborations across the District’s criminal justice system and 

provide information and data to support the common goal of making the Nation’s Capital a safe 

place for people to live, visit, and work.