SB 36: What Does Tool Validation Involve?
June 10, 2025
California Senate Bill 36 requires agencies conducting pretrial risk assessments to complete a validation at least once every three years.
Local validation studies are not just a requirement of SB 36 but an opportunity for your agency to improve your pretrial practices while ensuring equitable, safe, and timely release of eligible defendants.
The validation process is multi-pronged and unique for every agency. In short, effective validation involves a combination of technical statistical analysis and collaborative problem solving. Specific areas of expertise are needed to approach the complex requirements of SB 36:
- Strategizing: Creating a custom plan to address your agency’s unique needs and resources
- Qualitative learning: Understanding your local pretrial practices to ensure alignment with evidence-based best practices
- Rigorous analyses: Utilizing proven statistical methods to assess predictive accuracy
- Equity: Verifying that your agency’s chosen tool is working effectively for all populations
- Data security: Ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information
- Sustainability: Building protocols and expertise within your agency
Want to know more about pretrial assessment tool validation in California? A previous blog post covered some of the challenges and impact of SB 36 that are a helpful introduction to the legislation’s requirements, especially if your agency is just getting started in finding the right approach to validation.
If you have questions, please reach out to the experts at RDA Consulting to schedule a call or find out more about our services here.
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