Overview of the Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release

In June 2015, the Judicial Council of the State of Nevada unanimously approved a resolution creating a Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release in Nevada with the purpose of  studying Nevada's pretrial release systems and examining alternatives and improvements through evidence-based practices and current risk assessment tools.

In August 2018, after piloting the Nevada Pretrial Risk Assessment (NPRA) tool in pilot-site courts around the state, the Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release unanimously recommended that the Nevada Supreme Court require the use of the validated, NPRA tool on a statewide basis for use in pretrial release decisions. On March 21, 2019, following a public hearing, the Nevada Supreme Court issued an “Order Adopting the Statewide Use of the Nevada Pretrial Risk Assessment”. The Order tasked the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) with developing and delivering NPRA training to judicial officers, court personnel, and attorneys throughout the state and required statewide implementation of the NPRA in Nevada’s trial courts by September of 2021.

Committee membership consists of members of the Nevada judiciary, lawyers practicing criminal law in Nevada, and court services officers and management staff from counties throughout Nevada. Chairmanship of the Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release passed to Justice Douglas Herndon on January 27, 2021.

Contact Information:

Jamie Gradick
Administrative Office of the Courts
201 S. Carson Street, Suite 250
Carson City NV 89701-4702
Phone: (775) 687-9808
jgradick@nvcourts.nv.gov