Message from the Director

Welcome to the website of the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia (PSA).

It is my privilege to lead this agency, where our talented and dedicated employees work tirelessly to advance our important public safety mission.

For over half a century, we have ensured, through our strong sense of mission and effective collaborations with justice partners, that unnecessary pretrial detention is minimized, jail crowding is reduced, public safety is enhanced, and the pretrial release process is administered fairly. Our risk assessment, drug use testing, and innovative supervision and treatment programs are recognized as models for the criminal justice system nationwide. We honor this status by routinely extending technical assistance to domestic and international justice systems interested in initiating or enhancing their own pretrial programs.

Our strategic plan for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 reflects a continued commitment to the fair administration of justice and incorporates the collective vision of internal and external stakeholders, as well as defendants, regarding PSA’s way forward.

For the next five years, our efforts will focus on leading the future of defendant supervision into the post-pandemic world as we continue to meet the needs of our judges, protect the rights of our defendants, and remain cognizant of our responsibility to the community we serve. We will enhance our virtual service offerings and leverage our risk assessment data to encourage judicial concurrence with our release recommendations, maximize opportunities for defendants to remain on pretrial release until disposition of their cases, minimize rearrest during the pretrial period, and promote defendant appearance at all scheduled court dates.

In addition, we remain committed to the continuous evaluation and ongoing improvement of our services to ensure fidelity to evidence-based practices. We also will continue to cultivate and nurture collaborations with our justice partners across the District to help advance our interrelated missions.

PSA is fortunate to have a talented workforce dedicated to accomplishing the Agency’s mission. Working together with our justice partners, we will continue building upon our history of service to the District and our past successes and remain excited to lead public safety in the Nation’s Capital.

I invite you to explore PSA’s website and learn more about the Agency, our innovative services, technological advancements, employment opportunities, and much more.

Please contact us if you need information that you do not find on these pages or if you have any suggestions for improving our website.

Leslie C. Cooper