A new edition of the PSA Scoring Manual (DOC) is now available to download.
The new edition, issued in March 2022, replaces the edition from April 2020. The 2022 edition is best suited for jurisdictions that:
- Are preparing to implement the PSA in the future
- Have already implemented the PSA but have not yet locally validated it and are able to collect data under the clarified scoring rules
Jurisdictions that have already locally validated the PSA may continue to use the scoring rules from the April 2020 edition of the PSA Scoring Manual, or they can collect and analyze data under any differing scoring rules to determine which way is most valid for them.
APPR is committed to continually clarifying the PSA scoring rules as we receive feedback from the field and to synchronizing them as closely as possible with the way the researchers originally developed the PSA. Sign up with APPR to receive news of future editions.
Summary of Clarifications
All clarifications are consistent with the original research used to develop and validate the PSA. Notable clarifications in the 2022 edition include
- Suitability for Assessment: Clarifies that the PSA should be used for people age 18 and older (see page 3)
- Factor 3: Clarifies that the pending charge is scored at the time of arrest (see page 8)
- Factor 3: Clarifies that the underlying charge is scored as pending only if the person is arrested and charged with a new criminal offense or failure to appear (see pages 8–9)
- Factors 3, 7 & 8: Clarifies that the pretrial period for scoring (a) pending charges and (b) previous failures to appear is determined based on how your jurisdiction defines case disposition (see pages 10 and 15)
- Factors 7 & 8: Clarifies that failures to appear are counted unless the warrant was canceled, withdrawn, or quashed on the same day it was issued (see page 15)
- Factors 7 & 8: Clarifies that failures to appear are counted for each case (see page 16)
APPR Help Desk
Our pretrial experts are available to answer your PSA scoring questions through the APPR Help Desk.
