Research Director Chris Griffin blogs from Wisconsin:
The day has finally arrived!
At this afternoon’s initial appearance court in Dane County, WI, the A2J Lab begins its evaluation of the Public Safety Assessment (“PSA”). Criminal process in this jurisdiction now includes additional, scientifically based information in a randomly selected subset of cases to inform pre-disposition release decisions. The judicial official–known here as a Commissioner–receives risk scores and a recommendation for release through the PSA and its static criminal history inputs to consider in reaching those decisions. Check out this video starring Lab affiliate Heidi Liu and yours truly to learn more about the science behind this RCT:
Over the coming week, I will post more personal thoughts about our PSA evaluation and some reflections from Dane County officials and employees. In the meantime, I will be observing initial appearances, meeting with commissioners and judges, and discussing the next RCT milestones with other field partners. The Lab, the Arnold Foundation, Luminosity, and the County have worked for almost two years to make this study a reality. Stay tuned for more!
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