A Facilitated Discussion on the PSA Violent Offense List
Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research is pleased to offer a free virtual facilitated discussion on the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) Violent Offense List (VOL). The discussion will be held on Thursday, July 22, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET. It will help jurisdictions using the PSA or preparing to use the PSA develop and maintain their VOL and score the PSA with fidelity.
Registration deadline is Thursday, July 15.
About the Discussion
PSA fidelity relies on accurate scoring. Many jurisdictions find it challenging to determine which offenses are properly categorized as violent for purposes of scoring the PSA. Even with the assistance of the Guide to the PSA Violent Offense List, jurisdictions sometimes struggle to create an in-state VOL. Also, classifying out-of-state offenses often presents an additional challenge for staff scoring the PSA.
This conversation is relevant for all pretrial policymakers and stakeholders, pretrial coordinators and directors, and staff scoring the PSA. Jurisdictions that have not yet developed their VOL will benefit from the discussion. Those that previously implemented the PSA can use it as a refresher. This facilitated discussion will include a review of the elements that comprise a violent offense for purposes of scoring the PSA, followed by skill-building exercises and a question and answer session.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the training, participants can expect to:
- Understand the purpose, creation, and definition of violent offenses for purposes of scoring the PSA.
- Know how to categorize out-of-state offenses.
- Understand the importance of having a VOL fidelity process.
- Learn of APPR resources that can assist with scoring offenses as violent (Guide to the PSA Violent Offense List and the new Violent Offense Checklist).
Facilitation Faculty
The facilitators for this session are people who have many years of experience with pretrial justice, the PSA, and developing Violent Offense Lists.
Michael Jones
Michael Jones has specialized experience in pretrial system change, training, and technical assistance for the past 12 years. He has worked with hundreds of localities or states to implement legal and research-supported pretrial practices, including implementation of the PSA.
Jessica Ireland
Jessica Ireland has decades of experience as a pretrial services practitioner and previously served as the Program Manager for Mecklenburg County Pretrial Services. In that role, she successfully worked with criminal justice stakeholders to implement the PSA.