Effectiveness of drug testing requirements on pretrial supervision outcomes

Chelsea M.A. Foudray, Evan M. Lowder and David B. Wilson

Journal of Criminal Justice, 2025, vol. 97, issue C

Abstract: Pretrial reform advocates have argued for the implementation of evidence-based pretrial strategies. However, proposed reform efforts primarily focus on risk-management strategies, rather than strategies to address criminogenic needs. Pretrial supervision agencies commonly rely on drug testing as a compliance-based strategy to monitor illicit substance use. Existing research on pretrial drug testing, however, is limited and dated. We conducted a retrospective non-equivalent comparison group study, using propensity score matching and instrumental variable analysis, to examine the effect of pretrial drug testing on pretrial supervision outcomes. Findings from a matched sample of 291 defendants ordered to pretrial drug testing and 748 defendants not ordered to pretrial drug testing showed drug testing increased the odds of pretrial failure (OR = 1.78; ME = 0.47). Although the instrumental variable analysis was limited by a small sample size and a weak instrument, findings were consistent in direction and magnitude with weighted models. Our findings suggest drug testing may not be a suitable mechanism to advance the goals of pretrial supervision, though our findings were limited to a single jurisdiction. Instead, pretrial agencies may need to consider using drug testing as a mechanism of determining progress and guiding conversations with defendants on supervised pretrial release.

Keywords: Pretrial supervision; Drug testing; Community supervision; Pretrial policy; Pretrial (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235225000352
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:97:y:2025:i:c:s0047235225000352

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102386

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Criminal Justice is currently edited by Matthew DeLisi

More articles in Journal of Criminal Justice from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().