Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research and RTI International are pleased to offer free virtual training on Public Safety Assessment (PSA) validation. The training will be held in an afternoon session on Thursday, April 25, 2024, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET. The deadline to register is Thursday, April 18.
About the Training
Actuarial pretrial assessments, like the PSA, estimate the likelihood that people will appear in court for pretrial proceedings and remain arrest-free while on pretrial release. While studies show that pretrial assessments improve decision making and outcomes, completing regular validation studies every one to three years helps ensure that the tool is predictive for the local population and determines whether it worsens inherent bias.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the training, participants will:
- Receive a basic overview of validating pretrial assessments
- Learn about several local PSA validation studies and lessons learned
- Be familiar with APPR resources and the APPR Community
Training Faculty
The trainers for this session have many years of experience with pretrial justice and pretrial supervision.
Dr. Kelvin L. Banks, associate director, Center for Effective Public Policy
Dr. Banks has more than 20 years of criminal legal system experience, with the past 10 years in pretrial justice. He was previously the director of Harris County Pretrial Services and Pretrial Services for the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan.
Kristin Bechtel, PhD, principal scientist, Center for Criminal Legal Systems Research at RTI International
Dr. Bechtel conducts research within RTI’s Center for Courts and Corrections Research, focusing on identifying and advancing effective and equitable policies and practices in pretrial, prosecution, public defense, community supervision, and corrections. Her research expertise includes assessment development, validation and implementation, supervision conditions and practices, and process and outcome studies of programs and interventions. Dr. Bechtel was a lead researcher for the development and implementation of the PSA.
Jessica Ireland, senior manager, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Ireland has more than 20 years of experience in the justice system at both the local and state levels. She previously served as the program manager for Mecklenburg County Pretrial Services.
Stephen Tueller, PhD, statistician and quantitative psychologist, RTI International
Dr. Tueller is a statistician and quantitative psychologist in RTI’s Division of Applied Justice Research. His program of research is focused on developing statistical models and software tools for research in criminal justice, juvenile justice, human trafficking, risk assessment, child welfare, substance use, and serious mental illness. He is an expert in risk assessment, R package (code) development, developing models for partially classified data, and analyses for single subject and idiographic clinical trials.
Application Process
Space in this training is limited. Prospective participants must complete the training registration by Thursday, April 18, and be selected to attend.
Priority consideration will go to community and criminal legal system stakeholders, including practitioners in pretrial service agencies. Space is available for national technical assistance providers to participate.
APPR will make selection decisions immediately after the April 18 registration deadline. Confirmed participants will receive additional information about the training, including how to attend the online session and access related resources.
Please direct any questions to Samuel Steed, operations assistant at the Center for Effective Public Policy, at ssteed@cepp.com.