Program Description

  Pre-Trial Services

The Pre-Trial Services (PTS) Division is responsible for assessing newly arrested defendants for the possibility of release from incarceration while awaiting trial and for follow-through while supervising those defendants safely in the community. The PTS Division also supervises those defendants who are offered diversion from trial in return for satisfactorily completing a community service or substance abuse program. There are four independent programs within the Division: Pre-Trial Assessment Unit, Pre-Trial Supervision Unit, Alternative Community Service Program (ACS), and Intervention Program for Substance Abusers (IPSA).

The Pre-Trial Assessment Unit is housed at the Montgomery County Detention Center and is responsible for assessing those who have been newly arrested and have been unable to make bond. Staff verifies personal information, analyzes criminal histories, and formulates recommendations to the Court to enable the Judge to make informed bond decisions. Recommendations are made with public safety as the main priority following the national models of assessment for the judicial system.

The Pre-Trial Supervision Unit provides monitoring of court-ordered conditions to offenders released to the community while awaiting trial. Advanced technology such as GPS tracking and Radio Frequency Curfew equipment are used to monitor offenders' movements in the community. Drug testing is also performed. Violations of release conditions are immediately reported to the Court for possible re-incarceration.

The diversion programs, ACS and IPSA, are predominantly for first-time misdemeanant offenders who will ultimately have their charges expunged following successful completion of one of these programs. Community service, drug education, and treatment are core functions of these programs. There is an administrative fee with these programs.