Meet the NAPSA Board: Past President Kelly Bradford

Name: Kelly Bradford

Board Role/Title: Past President

Term of Service: 2024- Present

Location (City/State): Albuquerque, NM

Professional Role/Organization: Court Services Division Director, New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts

Tell us a little about yourself and your professional background.

I’ve spent more than 27 years working in New Mexico’s criminal justice system, and much of my career has been shaped by a desire to improve how our system serves both communities and the individuals involved in it. I began my career at the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office as a Victim Advocate, where I worked closely with victims of crime to ensure their rights were recognized and that they were supported throughout the court process.

In 2012, I transitioned to Bernalillo County as the Adult Detention Reform Coordinator. In that role, I worked with justice system partners to better understand why people were in jail and to develop strategies that could safely reduce the jail population. Through collaborative efforts across the courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and community partners, we were able to implement numerous initiatives that significantly reduced the jail population while maintaining and improving public safety outcomes.

I later joined the Second Judicial District Court, where I oversaw the Pretrial Services Program and several treatment court programs. In 2019, I joined the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts to lead the development of the statewide Pretrial Justice Program. Today, I serve as the Director of the Court Services Division at the Administrative Office of the Courts, where I work with talented teams across the state to support courts and advance practices that strengthen public safety, fairness, and trust in the justice system.

Since that time, much of my work has focused in the pretrial space—working to strengthen our justice system and advance practices that promote equity, fairness, and better outcomes for individuals navigating the criminal justice system. My passion is helping build a system that is fair, just, and grounded in practices that support both public safety and equity.

What inspired you to get involved with NAPSA?

My involvement with NAPSA grew out of the work I was doing in pretrial reform in New Mexico. As we began implementing evidence-based pretrial practices and building a statewide framework, it became clear how important it was to connect with others across the country who were doing similar work. NAPSA provided that space to learn from practitioners, share experiences, and stay connected to national best practices in the field.

Earlier in my career in pretrial justice, I attended the NAPSA conference and remember seeing members of the Board and realizing that I needed to connect with many of those individuals. They were leaders in the field, and I knew there was a great deal I could learn from them. Building those relationships became incredibly valuable. Through those connections, I was able to learn from experienced practitioners, vet ideas, and bring new perspectives back to the work we were doing in New Mexico.

What inspired me most was the commitment of the NAPSA community to improving pretrial justice in a way that balances public safety, fairness, and the law. Being part of the organization allowed me not only to learn from others but also to contribute to broader conversations about how we can continue to strengthen pretrial systems. Over time, that connection grew into deeper involvement through leadership opportunities and collaboration with colleagues across the country.

NAPSA has been an important professional community for me, and the relationships and shared learning within the organization have played a meaningful role in helping advance the pretrial work we’ve been able to accomplish in New Mexico.

What motivated you to serve on the NAPSA Board?

My motivation to serve on the NAPSA Board really grew out of the relationships and learning I experienced early in my involvement with the organization. When I first attended NAPSA conferences, I had the opportunity to connect with leaders in the field who were generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences. Those conversations helped shape my thinking, challenged my ideas, and ultimately strengthened the work we were doing in New Mexico.

Serving on the Board felt like an opportunity to give back to the organization and the community that had supported my own professional growth. I wanted to contribute to the continued advancement of pretrial justice and help ensure that practitioners across the country have a place to learn from one another, share ideas, and navigate the challenges that come with this work.

Pretrial justice is constantly evolving, and strong professional communities are essential to that progress. Through board service, I hoped to support NAPSA’s mission, contribute to thoughtful conversations about the future of the field, and help create opportunities for others—especially those earlier in their careers—to connect, learn, and grow just as I did.

What area of NAPSA’s work are you most passionate about?

One area of NAPSA’s work that I am especially passionate about is advancing equity and fairness within the pretrial system while supporting public safety through legal and evidence-based practices. Using data to guide decisions and improve outcomes is critical to ensuring that pretrial systems are fair, transparent, and effective.

I am also deeply interested in the future of the field and supporting the next generation of pretrial practitioners. I believe NAPSA plays an important role in providing mentorship, professional support, and a space for practitioners and leaders to learn from one another. Through my experience, I have especially enjoyed working with new sites and professionals as they implement pretrial programs and practices, helping provide the guidance and support that are often critical to success.

Supporting mentorship and the continued growth of the field is something I care deeply about, and NAPSA helps create those opportunities for connection, learning, and leadership development.

What do you see as the biggest opportunity—or challenge—facing pretrial services today?

One of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing pretrial services today is continuing to strengthen systems in ways that are both fair and effective while maintaining public trust. As jurisdictions implement or refine pretrial practices, it is critical that decisions remain grounded in legal principles, evidence-based practices, and reliable data. I believe it is especially important for the field to stay the course on these practices, regardless of the outside climate or shifting narratives around criminal justice.

At the same time, there are important opportunities to continue improving pretrial systems through education, transparency, and innovation. Strengthening stakeholder understanding, using data to guide decisions, and expanding connections to supportive services can all help improve outcomes while supporting both public safety and fairness within the justice system.

How does your background or perspective strengthen the Board?

The Board is made up of practitioners who are actively working in the field every day operationalizing best practices, applying national standards, and navigating real-world challenges such as staffing, stakeholder engagement, and sustaining programs over time.

Throughout my career, I have worked across several parts of the justice system from the prosecutor’s office to county government, the courts, and now at the statewide level. My experience has included working on jail population initiatives, understanding the financial and operational impacts of incarceration, facilitating stakeholder collaboration, and advancing legislative, data, and performance improvements. I have also been involved in implementing new programs as well as expanding and strengthening existing ones.

What I’ve learned along the way is that collaboration is essential to success. The work is never about one individual it’s about strong teams working together, learning from one another, and staying focused on the mission.

What accomplishment—professionally or personally—are you most proud of?

One of the things I am most proud of in my career is the opportunity I’ve had to work with so many amazing people. Throughout the years, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by talented professionals who have been willing to share their knowledge, challenge my thinking, and work together to improve the justice system.

That has been especially true in the work we’ve done to build and expand pretrial programs across New Mexico. Seeing teams come together across courts, counties, and communities to implement legal and evidence-based practices and watching those efforts grow into a statewide system has been incredibly rewarding. There have certainly been difficult challenges along the way. Anytime meaningful change is implemented, there will inevitably be obstacles, but the progress that has been made and the impact it has had have made the work well worth it.

What I’ve learned throughout this experience is that the most meaningful accomplishments rarely come from one person they come from strong teams working toward a shared goal. Being able to learn from others, collaborate on difficult challenges, and see the collective impact of that work is something I value deeply and am very proud to have been part of.

What advice would you give to someone new to pretrial services or NAPSA?

My advice to someone new to pretrial services or NAPSA would be to stay curious and take every opportunity to learn from the people around you. The field is full of experienced practitioners who are incredibly generous with their knowledge, and building those relationships can make a big difference in your growth.

I would also encourage people to stay grounded in the core principles of pretrial justice focusing on legal and evidence-based practices while remaining open to new ideas and innovation. Organizations like NAPSA provide a great space to connect with others in the field, ask questions, share ideas, and learn from the experiences of colleagues across the country. Those connections can provide mentorship, support, and perspective that are invaluable as you grow in the field.

And lastly, don’t give up when faced with roadblocks. Meaningful change takes time. Sometimes you may feel like you are taking three steps back in order to move five steps forward. Implementing new practices and shifting culture across systems does not happen overnight, but when you begin to see the dots connect, even in small ways, it can be incredibly rewarding and often becomes the springboard for lasting system change.

What do you hope NAPSA members know about the Board’s work?

I hope NAPSA members know that the Board is made up of practitioners who care deeply about the field and the work being done across the country. Much of the work happens behind the scenes, but the focus is always on supporting NAPSA’s mission and ensuring the organization continues to provide value to its members.

The Board is a collective of passionate professionals who take seriously their responsibility to the field and the membership. We collaborate to help guide the organization, support professional development, and create opportunities for practitioners to connect and learn from one another.

We also genuinely enjoy working together. When we are all in the same room, there is a lot of collaboration, great conversation, and, usually a considerable amount of candy involved while discussing pretrial justice. That shared commitment and positive energy help us stay focused on supporting NAPSA and the broader pretrial community.

Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and kids and finding opportunities for new adventures together. We love traveling and exploring new places whenever we can. I’m also a big fan of live music, so going to concerts and music festivals is something I really enjoy.

I also appreciate the quieter moments, sometimes my favorite thing is just relaxing at home with my husband and our dog, Luna. I enjoy getting outside for a good hike or exploring a trail in the New Mexico sun. I’ve always been someone who loves learning, especially about history and the events that shaped the world before us. I’m also naturally curious about what’s on the horizon and enjoy staying informed about what’s happening around me.

Closing

Kelly Bradford is the Director of the Court Services Division for the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts.

Bradford served as the NAPSA President from 2024–2026 and currently serves as Past President. She previously served as the NAPSA Southwest Regional Director. She is also a member of the National Institute of Corrections Pretrial Executives Network and the Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR) Pretrial Professional Network.

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What if the biggest opportunity in pretrial services isn't what we do—but how we do it? Across the country, pretrial agencies are under pressure to do more: protect public safety, uphold due process, and improve outcomes—all within systems built decades ago around monitoring and compliance. We're part of a growing movement reexamining that foundation. The result is a shift from supervision to support. From surveillance to coaching. And the evidence behind it is compelling. The Old Model: Built to Catch Failure For decades, pretrial supervision has operated from a compliance-first playbook: Monitor behavior Detect violations Report outcomes It's a "referee model"—and while accountability matters, this approach asks only one question: Did you follow the rules? What it rarely asks is: What got in the way? What can I do to support you to be successful? This distinction turns out to make all the difference. Accountability matters, but too often the focus becomes perfection instead of understanding what barriers may be impacting success. What a Coaching Model Actually Means A coaching model doesn't eliminate accountability. It changes how accountability is delivered. Instead of acting solely as rule enforcers, pretrial professionals become: Coaches who support behavior change Partners in problem-solving Navigators who connect people to the resources they need The shift is from " Did you comply? " to " What do you need to succeed? " This isn't a soft approach. It's a smarter one—and the research backs it up. What the Data Shows The most important thing to understand about missed court dates? Most of them aren't about defiance. Most missed court dates are usually not driven by someone intentionally trying to avoid court. Research consistently shows failures to appear are frequently tied to transportation issues, work conflicts, childcare responsibilities, unstable housing, behavioral health challenges, fear, or confusion about the court process itself. If we truly want to maximize court appearance, we have to focus on reducing barriers to success—not simply responding after failure occurs. People are more likely to return to court when systems are designed to help them succeed. Court reminders, clear communication, transportation assistance, and respectful engagement all matter. Research continues to show that unnecessary pretrial detention destabilizes people quickly through job loss, housing disruption, family separation, and worsening mental health. Even short periods of detention can increase the likelihood of future criminal justice involvement, especially among lower-risk individuals. Keeping people stable in the community produces better public safety outcomes than detaining them. Agencies that have implemented coaching-oriented models are reporting: FTA reductions of 10–25% Technical violation reductions of 15–30% Increased voluntary engagement with services No significant increase in new criminal activity The Science Behind It: Why Coaching Works It Matches How Behavior Actually Changes , but resets how we think about it. We start with responsivity first, not last. Starting with responsivity shifts our perspective from seeing high risk people to people who are struggling who have a higher risk of failure without support.T he Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model —one of the most replicated frameworks in criminal justice research—tells us three things: Deliver support in a way people can receive it. Collaborative, motivational approaches produce better outcomes than directive or confrontational ones. How you engage matters as much as what you offer. Match supervision intensity to risk level. Supervising low-risk individuals too intensively doesn't make the community safer. It disrupts employment, housing, and family stability—the very things that prevent reoffending. Research shows that over-supervising low-risk individuals increases recidivism by 10–30% . Target the right needs. Effective interventions address the specific factors driving someone's risk—things like substance use, lack of stable employment, or antisocial thinking patterns. Generic programming doesn't move the needle. Fairness Predicts Compliance Here's something that surprises a lot of people: whether someone shows up to cour t is strongly predicted by whether they feel treated fairly —not by how severe the consequences are. Legal scholar Tom Tyler spent decades researching what he called procedural justice. His findings are consistent across courts, law enforcement, and supervision settings: People comply more when they feel heard People comply more when decisions are made transparently People comply more when they're treated with respect People comply more when they believe the system is trying to help them The practical implication is direct: how a pretrial officer speaks to a client on their first meeting predicts whether that client appears in court. Procedural justice isn't a feel-good concept. It's an evidence-based compliance strategy. The Cost of the Status Quo It's worth being honest about what surveillance-only systems actually produce. Even a few days of pretrial detention triggers a cascade of consequences: job loss, missed rent, family separation, worsening mental health. Every one of those consequences is a direct predictor of future failure to appear and new criminal activity. A system that creates instability and then supervises people through it isn't a public safety strategy—it's a cycle. The Pretrial Phase: A Window We Can't Afford to Waste The period between arrest and case resolution is one of the most destabilizing moments in a person's life. People are navigating uncertainty about their case, disruptions to work and housing, behavioral health challenges, and acute fear and stress. It's also one of the greatest windows of opportunity we have. When agencies respond to this moment with intentional support—connecting people to services, addressing barriers early, building trust—individuals stabilize faster. And people who are stable are far more likely to appear in court and stay out of trouble. The pretrial phase isn't just a waiting room. It's where outcomes are shaped. What This Requires of Us Shifting to a coaching model isn't just a policy change. It's a culture change. Even the best practices fail in environments that are control-heavy, deficit-focused, or transactional. Building a coaching culture means: Leadership modeling coaching behaviors every day Staff trained and supported in motivational interviewing, trauma-informed engagement, and cognitive-behavioral approaches Daily interactions —not just written policies—reflecting the values of the model It also means investing in our people. Pretrial officers in a coaching model are change agents, system navigators, and relationship builders. That requires real skill—and real support. The Bigger Picture The coaching model isn't a departure from pretrial principles. It's their evolution. It reinforces the presumption of release. It supports least restrictive conditions. It honors individualized decision-making. And it reframes the fundamental purpose of pretrial services: Not just to monitor behavior—but to improve outcomes. People appear in court when they feel treated fairly. People comply when their barriers are addressed. People stabilize when systems are designed to support stability. The question for every pretrial agency is the same: Are we building systems designed to catch failure—or to create success? If you would like to learn more, please review our resource, First Step Forward , which outlines a support-oriented pretrial framework designed to help courtroom partners reduce barriers to court attendance and more effectively support individuals navigating the pretrial process. This post draws on research from NAPSA, Arnold Ventures, the Risk-Need-Responsivity framework, Tom Tyler's procedural justice research, and the Coach Referee Model for Change (CRMC). About the Author:

National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies