The Hidden Costs of Time Spent in Pretrial Detention
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Training Description
Pretrial detention is consequential for individuals, families, and communities. When people are incarcerated pretrial, they are unable to work, take care of their families, or meet their daily obligations. Surprisingly, few people are denied pretrial release. Rather, most people detained pretrial are incarcerated because they were unable to meet the financial burden of their bond. Legal actors grapple with the trade-off between the public safety aspects versus the unintended negative aspects of pretrial detention. There is a tenuous link between detention and recidivism generally, but little research studies the association between pretrial detention and crime and punishment.
During this MHS Public Safety Webinar, Dr. Ian Silver, Quantitative Criminologist at RTI, and Jason Walker, a Research Criminologist in the Courts Systems Research Program at RTI International will present research from multiple counties in different regions of the U.S. to test the criminogenic and punitive nature of pretrial detention. The results from multiple difference-in-difference models produce evidence suggesting that the time spent in pretrial detention is associated with negative outcomes during pretrial. The effects of pretrial detention, moreover, differed by the biological sex of the defendant. The policy implications of these results are discussed within the broader pretrial system, focusing on efforts to reduce the negative outcomes associated with pretrial detention.
Trainer Biography
Ian A. Silver is a Quantitative Criminologist with RTI’s Center for Courts and Corrects. Dr. Silver’s formal training as a quantitative criminologist focused on Criminal Justice Policy has created an interest in applying statistical theory and techniques to generate causal inferences from non-experimental data. As such, his primary career focus is on conducting high-quality research in the social sciences focused on applying, developing, and evaluating advanced quantitative techniques. Dr. Silver’s recent work has appeared in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Justice Quarterly, and the Journal of Experimental Criminology.
Jason Walker is a Research Criminologist in the Courts Systems Research Program at RTI International. His primary interests include sentencing, risk assessments, pretrial processes, and public health in corrections. He has developed an expertise in data management, data analytics, and research methods for examining decision-making in the courts, utilization of risk assessments in the criminal justice system, and infectious disease outbreaks in correctional facilities. Jason is also currently a doctoral candidate in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, you will be able to…
- Describe how time spent in pretrial detention could influence negative outcomes during pretrial supervision.
- Evaluate the potential broader effects of pretrial detention on the lives of defendants.
- Discuss the effects of time spent in pretrial detention on failure to appear, new criminal arrest, new violent criminal arrest, and convictions.
- Identify and develop policies that could potentially reduce the effects of time spent in pretrial detention on outcomes during pretrial.
