The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) was established, under the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, to oversee probation

Probation

Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...

ers and parole

Parole

Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...

es, and provide pretrial services in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

. The functions were previously handled by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia

Superior Court of the District of Columbia

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is the local trial court for the District of Columbia. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law. The court also handles specialized cases in the following areas: family court, landlord and tenant, probate, tax, and traffic offenses...

and the D.C. Pretrial Services Agency. For the first three years, CSOSA operated under trustee John "Jay" Carver, and officially became a Federal agency in August 2000.

The CSOSA conducts drug testing and operates a substance abuse treatment program, as part of its community supervision program.