NAPSA Pretrial Standards: Revised 2024

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Spurgeon Kennedy has spent his career advocating for legal, fair, and effective practices that respect the rights of individuals and the safety of local communities. As Vice President of the Crime and Justice Institute, he guides the Institute’s efforts to bridge the gap between research and practice with data-driven solutions that drive bold, transformative improvements in adult and youth justice systems. Mr. Kennedy has provided technical assistance and support to justice systems and organizations on issues such as improving bail decision-making, implementing outcome and performance metrics, developing pretrial services agencies, alternatives to incarceration, system mapping, pretrial diversion, and work- and caseload analysis. He also has served as a facilitator and training faculty member for agencies such as National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies, the National Institute of Corrections, the National Institute of Justice, the American Probation and Parole Association, the Office on Violence Against Women, the American Civil Liberties Union, and state and federal court, pretrial, and corrections organizations. Mr. Kennedy’s previous positions include president of NAPSA, program director with the Justice Management Institute (JMI), co-interim director of Harris County Pretrial Services (under contract with JMI), deputy director of operations and director of the Office of Strategic Development for the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia, programs manager with the NIJ, and senior associate with the Pretrial Services Resource Center. Mr. Kennedy also has authored or co-authored several publications, including: NAPSA’s Pretrial Standards (2020 and 2024 editions); A Framework for Pretrial Justice: Essential Elements of a Pretrial System and Agency; and Measuring What Matters: Outcome and Performance Measures for the Pretrial Services Field, first and second editions.

Wendy Venvertloh earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a Minor in German from Washington University in St. Louis and completed her Master’s Degree in Management and Leadership through Western Governor’s University. Wendy was hired as a Probation Officer in Adams County, Illinois in 1999 and remained a Probation Officer until 2015 when she was promoted to Director of Court Services in Adams County, where she managed Pretrial Services, Adult and Juvenile Probation and Juvenile Detention. As Director, she spearheaded the implementation of the county’s Pretrial Services, Mental Health Court, RISE Probation and Juvenile Detention Cognitive Behavioral programming. Wendy was an inaugural member of the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial College Committee on Probation Education. She also served as the Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee of the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association. In July 2020, she left Adams County and joined the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts as the Pretrial Services Administrator. In August 2021, she was promoted to Deputy Director where she served as a member of the Executive Team that implemented the elimination of cash bail and the creation of the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services (Illinois). In August of 2024, Wendy joined NAPSA as the Executive Director.