Verifying the Validity of the Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool (CPAT) in a Southeast Colorado County

• In Event: Pretrial Risk Assessment

Abstract

Predicting risk of offending is an integral part of making sentencing decisions regarding offenders, but risk assessment is also important in pretrial services decisions for defendants. In order to ensure public safety, and improve the allocation of resources and treatment, determining the risk of failing to comply with pretrial bond recommendations is necessary. The Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool (CPAT) has been found to be a generally valid tool for predicting pretrial defendant risk for failure to appear in court or to commit new charges while released on bond. However, assessment tool validity has been known to vary based on the sample population. While various populations from counties across the state of Colorado have been used in samples testing the validation of the CPAT, this research seeks to extend existing research, by determining if the CPAT is a valid tool for assessing risk of the defendant populations of a specific, southeastern county in Colorado.

Authors

• Alexis J. Harper, El Paso County, Colorado

• Stephen Clipper, University of Alabama