Cumberland County probation reports improved court appearance, lower rearrest rates and more jail bed sales after pretrial services launch

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…