National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies

The National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies, NAPSA, is the national professional association for the pretrial release and pretrial diversion fields.

Incorporated in 1973 in the District of Columbia as a not-for-profit corporation, the goals of the Association are expressed succinctly in Article II of its Articles of Incorporation:

• to serve as a national forum for ideas and issues in the area of pretrial services;
• to promote the establishment of agencies to provide such services;
• to encourage responsibility among its members;
• to promote research and development in the field;
• to establish a mechanism for exchange of information; and
• to increase professional competence through the development of professional standards and education.

NAPSA consists primarily of pretrial practitioners; however, others interested in pretrial issues such as judges, lawyers, researchers, and prosecutors, comprise its five-hundred plus membership from forty-four states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.