As the pretrial release provisions of the New Penal Code and Controlled Substances Act (HB 463) begin being applied by the courts, the Administrative Office of Courts has announced publicly a study by the JFA Institute in Washington which affirms the validity of a key tool used by district and circuit judges when setting bonds for persons accused of crimes.
According to the study, the AOC’s Manual Pretrial Interview, Investigation and Risk Assessment – which objectively classifies an individual’s risk of failing to appear in court or committing an offense while on bond into “low,” “moderate,” or “high” categories – ranks among the best in the nation in terms of its ability to predict the behavior of those released on bond.
With the JFA’s publication of this report (Kentucky Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument Validation), the AOC’s Manual Pretrial Interview, Investigation and Risk Assessment has been proven a key component of Kentucky’s transition toward “evidence-based practices” for making bond decisions.
Read the entire AOC announcement
Kentucky Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument Validation
AOC’s Manual Pretrial Interview, Investigation and Risk Assessment
Contributed by Scott West
