Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) is pleased to offer a free training on the current state and future of pretrial law, litigation, and legislation. APPR co-directors Alison Shames and Matt Alsdorf will be joined by Tim Schnacke, the director of the Center for Legal and Evidence-Based Practices; Kristie Puckett Williams, an advocate and community organizer with lived experience of the criminal legal system; and Tara Boh Blair, the former executive officer of Kentucky’s Department of Pretrial Services. Together, they will explore current trends in pretrial reform and how the national landscape is being shaped by litigation efforts and legislative proposals—and the pushback against them.
This training will occur on Wednesday, March 22, from 3 to 5 p.m. ET. The deadline to register is Sunday, March 12.
About the Training
Where isn’t pretrial reform happening? The need for judges to make intentional decisions about release and detention, based on their state laws and federal constitutional rights, has been recognized across the nation. This has led many jurisdictions to reduce—or eliminate entirely—their reliance on financial conditions of release. Illinois abolished the use of financial conditions of pretrial release with the passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act in 2021, and stakeholders are now holding their breath as the Illinois Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of that law. Legislative proposals for pretrial reform are expected this year in Michigan, Ohio, and Texas.
Litigation to end the use of wealth-based detention is pending in jurisdictions in Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and elsewhere. Settlements in response to similar litigation are being implemented, monitored, and scrutinized in Detroit, Michigan; Harris County, Texas; and Shelby County, Tennessee.
But there is pushback as well: New Jersey and New Mexico—long considered models of pretrial reform—are facing efforts to roll back their pretrial advancements in light of recent upticks in violent and serious crimes. California courts have not entirely followed the landmark 2021 Humphrey decision by the state’s Supreme Court that prohibited keeping people in jail because they cannot afford to pay financial conditions of release; the California Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code is now recommending that the state codify and clarify the key elements of the Humphrey decision.
This training will review recent pretrial reform activity and examine if there are trends or isolated changes. We will discuss the emerging policies that all system and community stakeholders agree on, and what they disagree about. We will talk about the challenges and obstacles that pretrial reform faces. And we will ask participants to consider how these changes may impact their roles in the pretrial system and what the changes might mean for people most directly impacted by the pretrial system.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the training, participants will be able to:
- Explain the current trends in pretrial law, litigation, and legislation
- Identify the trends in their local jurisdiction
- Analyze how the current trends may impact their role in the pretrial system and how they may be able to advance positive change
Training Faculty
Matt Alsdorf, associate director, Center for Effective Public Policy
Mr. Alsdorf is a co-project director of APPR. He is a lawyer by training and previously served as the Vice President of Criminal Justice at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. For APPR, Mr. Alsdorf provides assistance to jurisdictions and oversees the development of pretrial resources.
Alison Shames, director, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Shames is a co-project director of APPR and serves on CEPP’s board of directors. She is a lawyer by training and has provided training and technical assistance in pretrial justice, community supervision, sentencing, and corrections to dozens of jurisdictions for over 15 years.
Tim Schnacke, director, Center for Legal and Evidence-Based Practices
Mr. Schnacke is a national expert on pretrial law. He is the author of many papers on pretrial reform, including the Fundamentals of Bail: A Resource Guide for Pretrial Practitioners and a Framework for American Pretrial Reform and Money as a Criminal Justice Stakeholder: The Judge’s Decision to Release or Detain a Defendant Pretrial.
Kristie Puckett Williams, community engagement consultant
Ms. Puckett Williams’ direct experience with poverty, drug addiction, domestic violence, and incarceration have led her to pursue a career in policy and advocacy. She is an expert on the conditions of confinement for women and girls, including pregnant women and girls. Ms. Puckett Williams also serves as the chair of the Women in Incarceration Workgroup for the State Reentry Council Collaborative and as a commissioner on the North Carolina Commission on Racial & Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System.
Tara Boh Blair, pretrial justice consultant
Ms. Blair is a subject matter expert in the field of pretrial services. She previously served as the executive officer of the statewide pretrial services department in Kentucky and has provided training and technical assistance to jurisdictions nationally and internationally for over 25 years.
Application Process
Please complete the training registration by Sunday, March 12.
Confirmed participants will receive additional information about the training, including how to prepare for and attend the session and access related resources.
Please direct questions to Alison Shames, APPR co-director, at ashames@cepp.com.