Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) is pleased to offer a free virtual training on the importance of developing a quality assurance process that promotes accuracy and consistency when scoring the Public Safety Assessment (PSA). The course takes place on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET. Space in this training is limited. The deadline to register is Wednesday, April 24.
About the Training
Proper scoring of the PSA is essential. It contributes to the fair and consistent treatment of people, maximizes the assessment’s predictive accuracy, and leads to greater confidence among those who consider the PSA’s results in their decision making.
Inaccurate scoring of the PSA can undermine confidence in it. Judicial officers will not rely on the results—and prosecutors and defense attorneys will argue against the assessment’s validity. Establishing a strong quality assurance (QA) process will maximize the chances that the PSA is scored accurately and consistently and build confidence in its use and results.
In this training you’ll learn why QA is necessary and how to create a quality assurance policy to increase the fidelity and accuracy of the PSA. It is designed for pretrial practitioners, especially those responsible for PSA scoring.
Learning Objectives
Participants can expect to do the following by the end of the training:
- Understand why QA matters
- Identify components of an effective QA process
- Learn how to begin drafting a QA policy
- Be familiar with APPR resources and the APPR Community
Training Faculty
The trainers for this session have many years of experience implementing the PSA and developing quality assurance processes.
Tanya Anderson, associate director, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Anderson has more than 30 years of justice system experience at the local and state levels, including two decades in pretrial justice. She previously served as the pretrial services coordinator for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
Jessica Ireland, senior manager, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Ireland has over 20 years of justice system experience at the local and state levels. She previously served as the program manager for Mecklenburg County Pretrial Services in North Carolina.
Nicole Carbone, justice services administrator, Pierce County Superior Court Clerk’s Office
Ms. Carbone has over five years of experience in the Washington State pretrial system. She previously served as the program manager for Thurston County Pretrial Services, where she played a key role in PSA implementation and quality assurance.
Application Process
If you are interested in attending the training session on May 1, complete the training registration application by Wednesday, April 24.
Participation is limited, and priority consideration will go to pretrial services staff and pretrial practitioners. Space is also available for national technical assistance providers.
APPR will make selection decisions immediately after the April 24 registration deadline. Confirmed participants will receive additional information about the training, including how to attend the sessions and access related resources.
Please direct any questions to Samuel Steed, operations assistant at the Center for Effective Public Policy, at ssteed@cepp.com.