The MASTLE: Obtaining Legitimacy Through Fair, Impartial, and Objective Decision-Making

The Massachusetts Arrest Screening Tool for Law Enforcement (MASTLE) is an objective, validated screening tool that estimates the likelihood that a youth taken into law enforcement custody for a criminal offense will be arrested for the commission of another offense in the future or will fail to appear for arraignment.1 This information will give supervisors and commanders additional information to make appropriate pre-processing decisions using objective, empirical data. It can lead to structured, accurate, and consistent decision-making, thus, eliminating the perception of bias and unevenness in enforcement of juvenile laws. The MASTLE (and tools like the MASTLE) are not intended to eliminate officer discretion; rather, the tool provides additional information to help guide discretion based on objective, tested, and validated criteria.