How well does CJA’s pretrial release assessment work? Here’s what we’ve learned

It’s been over five years since the current release assessment was first put into practice. Here’s what we’ve learned since then.
May 20, 2025
by Mary K. Kitzmiller and Marian Gewirtz
Want to dive deeper into the data?
Read the Full Validation Report on the CJA Release Assessment
Publications
Validation of the New York City Criminal Justice Agency Pretrial Release Assessment
Mary K. Kitzmiller and Marian Gewirtz
May 27, 2025

See How The Release Assessment Is Calculated

This interactive tool shows the eight factors used in the Release Assessment, factor by factor. Read the reasoning behind each factor, how each factor is scored, and how the final score guides the release recommendation.

This online version of the Release Assessment is for illustrative purposes only. Scores on the official Release Assessment administered for the courts may differ.

Explore the assessment
This Release Assessment and its scoring rubric apply in most cases for which an interview is conducted. In some situations, particular criminal charges, histories, and other factors may impact this process. In those cases, CJA may not make a recommendation or may not conduct an interview.

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