Cumberland County adult probation officials reported to the Finance Committee that the county’s pretrial services program has increased court appearance rates, reduced in-program rearrests and helped lower the county jail population so the facility could sell more beds to other jurisdictions.

Darby Chrisley, head of adult probation, said the program — which began in February 2023 — blends compliance, needs-based services and data collection. Chrisley described the program’s role in screening defendants brought to the booking center after arrest, producing a risk assessment for the magisterial district judges (MDJs) and supervising defendants released to the community while awaiting trial.

Using baseline data from before the program, Chrisley said the department tracked 574 people who were ordered into pretrial services in the period he cited. He reported a court-appearance rate of roughly 93.6 percent for those individuals and said appearance reminders (texts and emails) and officer contacts were part of the approach. Prior to establishing pretrial services, Chrisley told the committee, the county’s pretrial defendants had a rearrest rate of about 33 percent within one year of release.

Chrisley described several performance measures the department is tracking: appearance rate, safety rate (in-program rearrests), concurrence between assessed risk and bail decisions, and length of stay for defendants initially remanded to jail then placed on pretrial supervision. He said 90–96 percent of people ordered into pretrial services remained arrest-free while in the program, and that a large share of low-risk defendants who previously were held in jail are now supervised safely in the community.

The committee heard that the program has affected jail operations and county revenue. Chrisley presented figures showing the average daily beds the jail sold to other jurisdictions increased from an estimated 12–15 per day before the program to an average of 57 per day in 2024, producing roughly $1.2 million in revenue at an average per diem of $83.91. He said the first-year cost to administer pretrial services — primarily two new pretrial positions — was about $173,000, and that the program’s net effect on jail headcount allowed the county to avoid opening an additional housing unit for overcrowding.

Committee members asked about participation by magisterial district judges. Chrisley said most class-3 counties have pretrial services and that some counties run programs through nonprofits while others run them through probation offices; Cumberland’s model is a blend. He said several MDJs had welcomed the program but some had not yet participated; staff plan to continue outreach through court administration and to present outcome data to the bench.

Commissioners and committee members praised probation staff for program implementation and noted the fiscal benefit of selling beds to other jurisdictions. Questions from commissioners focused on staffing thresholds, how MDJ participation can be increased, and whether long-term analyses will be performed. Chrisley said staff will continue data collection and additional analysis in coming years to confirm the program’s outcomes.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the pretrial presentation; the session concluded with staff follow-ups and an announcement about a separate civic lighting event.