Lake County Pretrial Risk Assessment and Case Classification

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The Lake County Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument (LCPRAI) is a pretrial-specific, research-based risk assessment “point scale” that assesses the probability of pretrial failure, which is operationally defined as the risk of failing-to-appear for court and the risk of re-arrest while on bond. Officially implemented in March 2006, the first goal of the LCPRAI is to being consistent uniformity in the making of bond recommendations. The introduction of an objective and empirically-validated pretrial risk assessment instrument assists in standardizing the process of making a bond recommendation by factoring into this process the same critical risk factors, thereby generating more consistent and uniformed bond recommendations. The second aim of the LCPRAI is to establish a case classification system that would prioritize the supervision of pretrial defendants in conjunction with their measured level of risk: high-risk defendants get high-risk supervision; low-risk defendants get low-risk supervision. The LCPRAI provides the empirical foundation for such a case classification system, and the use of the LCPRAI for a case classification function is unique, broadening the purpose of the risk assessment tool originally designed only to assist in making bail recommendations.