Understanding Local Context

Why It Matters

Learning how Research-Action Sites make changes to their pretrial systems allows RTI to document different pathways that could serve as models for other jurisdictions. It also allows RTI to recommend ways to leverage strengths, overcome challenges, and direct resources to improve pretrial systems. 

Part of understanding the local context is hearing about the experiences of policymakers and community members from Research-Action Sites. The stories behind the numbers can help researchers interpret findings in meaningful ways and determine whether sites are achieving their local policy goals.

Research Methods

Interviews and Document Review

Each Research-Action Site has a collaborative policy team that works on pretrial improvements. Members of this team usually include judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, other pretrial professionals, and community representatives. RTI talks regularly with policy team members through video calls and by visiting sites (when travel is permitted) to learn about:

• Local progress on APPR activities 
• The perspectives of criminal legal system staff, policymakers, community leaders, and formerly incarcerated people on the local processes of making pretrial changes
• Other issues related to participation in APPR, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and national conversations about racial justice

RTI reviews meeting notes, documents, and information found through web searches to stay informed about key issues such as leadership changes, other justice reform efforts, and any concerns raised—whether by systems staff or community members—that might affect implementation of new pretrial policies or practices.

For questions about interviews and document review, contact Megan Comfort.

Research

APPR Research-Action Site Partnerships (PDF)
August 2022

Community Engagement in the APPR Research-Action Sites (PDF)
August 2022

Who Develops Violent Offense Lists, and How are They Used for the Public Safety Assessment? (PDF)
August 2022

Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Research-Action Sites (PDF)
April 2021

Surveys

RTI asks judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, other pretrial professionals, and community representatives in the Research-Action Sites to participate in periodic web-based surveys. Their responses help researchers learn how local pretrial systems work and what people think about pretrial change. Survey data collected to date provided information about:

• Support for pretrial change
• Familiarity with pretrial assessment tools 
• Current pretrial practices

Future surveys will provide insight into how people working in pretrial systems make decisions, how practices change over time, and how people think about new pretrial initiatives. Survey results will be shared below as they become available. 

For questions about surveys, contact Jenn Rineer.

Research

Impact of COVID-19 on Pretrial Practices (PDF)
June 2021

Baseline Survey on Current Pretrial Practices and Culture (PDF)
April 2020