The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office is concerned that the risk assessment questionnaire the county uses on people awaiting trial is leading to lower bonds that put the community at risk should those people re-offend.
But officials with Boulder County maintain that the test is the best way to assess defendants and said numbers show bond amounts have very little influence on a person’s behavior outside of jail.
The Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool (CPAT) was first created in 2013 is a 12-part questionnaire that arrestees eligible for bond fill out upon being booked into jail.
But Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett said he thinks that judges are now relying too heavily on the CPAT tests.
“We have really been concerned that there has been an over-reliance on the CPAT score that is used, and that the bonds we are getting are not taking into account public safety and the possibility the defendant could commit additional crimes,” Garnett said. “We’re concerned that there is a culture developing that doesn’t put enough emphasis on protecting the community.”
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