DOI: 10.3886/icpsr08919
title: Supervised Pretrial Release Programs, 1979-1982: Miami, Milwaukee, and Portland
title: Archival Version

description: This data collection effort was designed to assess the effects of different types of supervised pretrial release (SPR). Four major types of effects were examined: (1) defendants' behaviors while awaiting trial (failure to appear and arrests for new offenses), (2) the costs of SPR to victims and the criminal justice system, (3) pretrial release practices, and (4) jail populations. This study provides detailed information for a selected group of defendants awaiting trial on criminal histories and arrests while awaiting trial. Data are also available on services provided between arrest and disposition. The study produced four different data sets. The first, Supervised Release Information System (SRIS), contains intake information on current arrest, criminal record, socio-economic status, ties with the community, contact with mental health and substance abuse facilities, and pretrial release decisions. The release section of this data base contains information on services provided, intensity of supervision, termination from program, personal characteristics at termination, criminal charges at disposition, and new charges resulting from arrests while under pretrial status. The Arrest Data Set includes variables on type and number of crimes committed by SPR defendants, property costs to victims, personal injury costs, and court disposition for each offense. The Retrospective Data Set supplies variables on charges filed and method of release, personal characteristics, length of pretrial incarceration, bail, whether the defendant was rebooked during the pretrial period, charge at disposition, sentence, total court appearances, and total failures to appear in court (FTAs). The Jail Population Data Set contains monthly counts of jail population and average daily population.
description: Datasets: 
 
 DS0: Study-Level Files 
 DS1: Master Intake 
 DS2: Duplicated Intake 
 DS3: Master Release 
 DS4: Duplicated Release 
 DS5: Merged Intake and Release 
 DS6: Arrest Data 
 DS7: Retrospective Data 
 DS8: Duplicated Retrospective Data 
 DS9: Miami Jail Data 
 DS10: Milwaukee Jail Data 
 DS11: Portland Jail Data
description: The unit of observation for the Supervised Release Information System (SRIS) and the Retrospective Data Base is the defendant. The unit of observation for the Arrest Data Base is the arrest, and the unit of observation for the Jail Population Data Base is the month. Not all of the files provided by the principal investigators are completely documented. Also, the number of records for some files is greater than the number expected for unknown reasons. For three of the files, a separate file is provided with duplicate records only.
description: Felony defendants eligible for pretrial release or supervised release in Dade County (Miami) Florida, Milwaukee County (Milwaukee) Wisconsin, and Multnomah County (Portland) Oregon.
description: (1) Supervised Release Information System (SRIS): 3,232 felony defendants were selected from the three sites between 1980 and 1982, including those defendants who were unable to gain pretrial release due to seriousness of their prior records, but were judged by the court to be suitable for release with supervision. Of these, 1,692 cases entered the experimental program. (2) Arrest Data Base: A sample of 245 arrests involving 205 SPR defendants during the experimental period was drawn. (3) Retrospective Data Base: A random sample of approximately 400 felony defendants drawn from booking logs in each site for 1980 and again for 1981 was selected. The 1980 sample was drawn from a list of 1,258 defendants in the 12-month period prior to project start-up. The 1981 sample was selected from 1,040 defendants in the 12-month period the SPR program was in operation. This sample provides baseline data that can be compared with the SRIS database. (4) Jail Population Data Base: This sample consists of monthly observation for periods of time that vary by site. For Miami the dates were January 1979 to October 1981, for Milwaukee, December 1979 to August 1981, and for Portland, January 1980 to November 1981.