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Luminosity, Inc. Completes Largest Ever National Research Study on Pretrial Risk Assessment and Alternatives to Pretrial Detention

Pretrial Risk Assessment in the Federal Court

For the Purpose of Expanding the
Use of Alternatives to Detention

Saint Petersburg, Florida, May 1, 2009 -

Luminosity, Inc. is proud to announce the release of a cutting edge research report "Pretrial Risk Assessment in the Federal Court - For the Purpose of Expanding the Use of Alternatives to Detention." The research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Federal Detention Trustee (OFDT) with support from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The study employed data provided by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Office of Probation and Pretrial Services (OPPS) that described all persons charged with criminal offenses in the federal courts between October 1, 2001 and September 30, 2007 who were processed by the federal pretrial services system (N=565,178). All federal districts with the exception of the District of Columbia were represented in the study.

Predictors of Risk Identified

The research identified nine statistically significant and policy relevant predictors of pretrial risk of federal criminal defendants and developed a pretrial risk classification scheme to scale the risk persons arrested for federal criminal offenses pose if released pending trial. The predictors of pretrial risk are:

whether there were other charges pending against the defendant at the time of arrest,
the number of prior misdemeanor arrests,
the number of prior felony arrests,
the number of prior failures to appear,
whether the defendant was employed at the time of the arrest,
the defendant's residency status,
whether the defendant suffered from substance abuse problems,
the nature of the primary charge, and
whether the primary charge was a misdemeanor or a felony.

Efficacy of Alternatives to Detention Assessed

The efficacy of the alternatives to detention program at reducing federal criminal justice costs - particularly costs associated with pretrial secured detention - was also assessed. A population most suited - both programmatically and economically - for pretrial release with conditions of alternatives to detention was identified. The study further identified evidence-based practices relating to the determination of pretrial risk and recommendations to release or detain a defendant pending trial with an emphasis on how they relate to the assessment of pretrial risk and the administration of the alternatives to detention program.

To learn more about Luminosity and to read this report click here to visit our website ...