The Pulaski County APPR Research-Action Site Policy Committee’s vision is a pretrial practice system that consistently treats all persons fairly, that promotes community well-being, and establishes confidence and trust in the judicial process.
The Pulaski County APPR Research-Action Site Policy Committee will establish pretrial policies and procedures that afford all citizens fair and respectful treatment, operate in a transparent manner, and protect each individual's constitutional rights.
The Pulaski County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee was established in 2017. The committee analyzes justice system processes, identifies gaps in the system, and works to improve the collection of data, communication, and collaboration among the courts. It also explores reasons for increases in jail populations, strategies for reducing recidivism, and ways to engage community members and use public resources wisely.
Its work has been informed by a 2018 comprehensive, independent review of the adult justice system, including law enforcement, the jail, and the courts. Report recommendations led to collaborative conversations among county stakeholders about court processes, pretrial assessment, pretrial decision making, data collection, and racial disparities. Stakeholders are working with partners to improve data collection in law enforcement and in district and circuit courts.
System stakeholders in Pulaski County faced a long history of judicial autonomy that created challenges in communication and collaboration. Despite this, the Research-Action policy team met regularly to create and repair cross-agency relationships and find collaborative opportunities. The team created tools and resources that help consolidate pretrial data, generate daily jail booking reports, and started a quarterly pretrial services sub-committee. They also implemented a court reminder system and expanded its use to pretrial services call-ins and resource referral appointments.
The county agreed to fund a director-level position to establish the first pretrial services agency in the state. Initially limited to the courtroom of a single judge, the new agency is demonstrating its value in providing information to judges and support for people who have been accused of crime.
One of Pulaski County’s biggest hurdles was accessing the necessary data to implement and validate the Public Safety Assessment (PSA). It was a struggle the policy team kept up for several years with no success. One local judge provided data from his court so that the tool could be implemented hyper-locally. Using the PSA tool, the court increased pretrial releases with minimal conditions and connected to supportive services, when possible.