The human side of criminal justice is taking centre stage at Lethbridge Polytechnic.
In corrections, officers have an abundance of data on offenders, but front-line police officers aren’t guaranteed that same information when making recommendations for bail.
It’s a tight deadline — bail decisions can be made within 24 hours of arrest.
Research projects underway at the polytechnic are looking to create an accurate, reliable risk assessment with the minimal information available in real-world cases.
“It is based on risk assessment factors that have been identified in research for decades,” said Albright-Tolman, who was a correctional officer before beginning her work at the college.
With a new tool called DORA, she’s applying her experience to improve the human side of criminal justice.
DORA analyzes the risk of re-offending and breaching bail conditions. The tool also prioritizes bail checks for offenders based on risk level.
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With $3.5 million in grant funding, they’re collaborating with police and correctional agencies to implement change at a systemic level.
Albright-Tolman says the professional opinion of police is essential in this project; DORA is there to scientifically back them up.
“These agencies know what they need, and if they trust you, they’ll ask you to help with it,” said Albright-Tolman.
With recent federal legislative changes on bail, offenders are required to demonstrate their eligibility for bail, which can add time to the process.
Albright-Tolman hopes the DORA project can effectively improve the bail process.
The project is moving into the testing phase.
“The draft is created, we’re about to get launched with testing some historical bail data to see how it works,” said Albright-Tolman.
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