“It is so important to make sure you have the right people in the room before you even start the implementation conversation. One of the ways you do this is to really think about every single person or agency that this project is going to touch and make sure they have someone there.”
-Jessica Ireland, Senior Manager, Center for Effective Public Policy, and former pretrial services manager, Mecklenburg County, NC, Pretrial Services
Before you start to implement the PSA, make sure your jurisdiction is ready and positioned to succeed. You’ll need:
Use the Guide to Pretrial Advancement Readiness to assess whether your jurisdiction is ready to implement the PSA.
Although the PSA is a single tool, a jurisdiction must complete multiple activities to implement it successfully. Ideally, members of your collaborative policy team are involved in and approve all implementation activities and deliverables. To properly score and use the PSA, your jurisdiction must complete the following seven phases of the implementation process:
The PSA Implementation Guides, organized by these seven phases, are designed to help you complete these activities. Each guide describes an implementation task and provides instructions, examples, and templates that can be adapted for use in your jurisdiction.
Some jurisdictions rely entirely on the PSA Implementation Guides and implement the tool independently. Others may decide they want and need outside expertise to help manage and complete the process.
The PSA Implementation Guides are designed to help local jurisdictions plan and manage the process of incorporating the PSA into their pretrial system. If you have questions along the way, ask the APPR Community. You can also seek assistance from PSA experts through our Help Desk or watch PSA trainings on our Training Library. Register with APPR to receive news about future PSA-related training.
APPR staff are PSA experts. We have extensive experience using the PSA and providing technical support to help jurisdictions successfully implement it. Contact us to inquire about assistance with implementation in your jurisdiction or state.
Many members of the APPR Community use the PSA. Use this resource to connect and learn from fellow pretrial practitioners, researchers, and other experts around the country. The APPR Community is available at no cost when you sign up with APPR.
APPR provides free training on a wide range of pretrial topics, including the PSA. Training faculty features PSA experts with deep experience using and implementing the PSA. Sign up below to access our catalogue of on-demand training.
Learn how the PSA can enhance pretrial outcomes when implemented with fidelity.
The PSA factors and algorithm are publicly available here.
The guides provide all the information needed to implement the PSA.
Read about the studies that evaluate and validate the PSA.
Explore which states and local jurisdictions use the PSA.