We examine in theory and by numerical simulation, the dynamic process of switching from a zero voltage to a finite voltage state in a Josephson junction circuit. The theoretical model describes small capacitance Josephson junctions which are overdamped at high frequencies, and can be applied to detection of the quantum state of a qubit circuit. We show that the speed and fidelity of the readout are strongly influenced by the topology of the phase space attractors. The readout will be close to optimal when choosing the circuit parameters so as to avoid having an unstable limiting cycle which separates the two basins of attraction.One of the unique and exciting characteristics of quantum bits based on Josephson junction circuits (as opposed to quantum systems like atoms or nuclear spins) is the ability to engineer the system for optimal performance with regard to decoherence and readout efficiency. With Josephson junction circuits we have electrical access to the Hamiltonian of a quantum system described by two conjugate circuit variables. External current sources or voltage sources can be used to change potential and kinetic energies in the Hamiltonian of the quantum circuit 1 . This fact allows one to design a fast and reliable readout.The quantum dynamics of Josephson junction circuits is intensively studied by several groups around the world today. Many different circuits and measurement schemes have been proposed and implemented in experiments which prepare, evolve, and read out the quantum state of the circuit 2,3,4,5,6 . One of the most successful readout methods used this far is based on the switching of a Josephson junction from the zero voltage state to the finite voltage state. In this letter we analyze this switching process in some detail, focusing on the reliability of the detection method in the presence of external noise. We show that the existence of an unstable limiting cycle in the phase space dynamics of the Josephson junction leads to late retrapping (long measurement time) and false switching events, and that such an unstable cycle can be avoided with proper choice of parameters, while maintaining the desired overdamped phase dynamics.The switching current detector works on the principle that the quantum states one wants to differentiate have different critical currents I 0n = max[dE n /dφ], where E n is the energy of eigenstate n, and φ is the external phase of the circuit, which can be changed by application of an external current. Restricting ourselves to the two lowest energy states of the circuit (a qubit) we quickly ramp the current to a value I p , where I 00 > I p > I 01 . The circuit will evolve differently, depending on whether it is in state 0 or in state 1. If the qubit is in state 0, the circuit will not switch, meaning that it remains in the zero voltage state where the phase is trapped in a local minimum of the potential E 0 (φ). If the qubit is in state 1, it will switch, meaning that the phase escapes from this minimum, and evolves to a "free running" state with finite voltag...