Deirdre Benedict is the Supervising Analyst for the Judicial Council of California’s Pretrial Unit in the Criminal Justice Services Office. Since joining the Council in 2000, she has worked on projects involving judicial education, court support, and policy development, including serving as lead staff to the Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee. Deirdre was a key staffer for the Chief Justice’s 2016 Pretrial Detention Reform Workgroup and later led the Pretrial Reform and Operations Workgroup (PROW). She managed the statewide Pretrial Pilot Program in 2012, and now oversees the statewide Pretrial Release Services Program and funding allocations. She holds a BA in Social Science from San Francisco State and a certificate in Analytical Studies from Sacramento State.