The Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Implementation Task Force (Task Force) hosted its fourth in a series of town hall meetings on September 16 via Zoom on the topic of Evidence-based Pretrial Assessments in anticipation of the upcoming Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) implementation in 2023.

The Hon. Robbin Stuckert (ret.) serves as Chair of the Task Force and served as the lead for the Town Hall meeting. Presenters included the Hon. Cara LeFevour Smith, the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services Director, Matt Alsdorf, the Associate Director for the Center for Effective Public Policy’s, and Tara Blair, the former Executive Director of Kentucky Pretrial Services and a consultant on PFA implementation.

Judge LeFevour Smith provided an overview for the pretrial assessment process and Mr. Alsdorf and Ms. Blair provided an orientation for pretrial assessment tools and best practices. Ms. Blair focused on three of the most commonly used pretrial assessment tools: the Virginia Pretrial Assessment, the Public Safety Assessment, and the Ohio Risk Assessment System. Afterwards the presenters and Judge Stuckert answered questions from those in attendance.

The Town Hall meetings are intended to update court stakeholders on the work of the Task Force as it prepares for the changes coming once the PFA goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

Future town hall meetings are scheduled for: September 29, October 27, and November 17. More information is available on the website and any questions regarding the town halls and the work of the Task Force can be sent to pretrialtaskforce@illinoiscourts.gov.