Local Validation: Is Close Enough Good Enough?

Local Validation: Is Close Enough Good Enough?

January 12, 2026 | Evident Change

Not all risk and needs assessments work the same everywhere. Evident Change staff Katie Meyer, CAIS/JAIS Program Manager; Shantaé Motley, Researcher; and Stewart Wilson, Associate Data Solutions Analyst, will present the workshop “Local Validation: Is Close Enough Good Enough?” at the American Probation and Parole Association 2026 Winter Training Institute, held March 1–4 in Atlanta, Georgia. This workshop will demystify local validation and show why relying on someone else’s data can lead to unfair or inaccurate results. The workshop will walk through real examples and share a clear, doable process for checking how well your tool works for your community.