During the last 5 to 10 years, the rate of pretrial release detention has steadily increased. Sixty percent of the growth can be attributed to a steadily increasing risk of the defendants being charged in Federal court. This is the context in which the adoption of a risk prediction tool should be considered. The pretrial risk instrument presented provides a quick and accurate way for Federal pretrial services officers to begin to develop an empirical understanding of the risk posed by pretrial defendants. The adoption of an actuarial tool allows for the ability to more effectively assess defendant risk and improve the recommendations made to the court. The next step in the process of implementing a pretrial risk assessment will be full use of the information provided by the instrument in structuring recommendations about release and conditions of release. Tables and references