Criminological Assessment - An Overview of Practices in the United States (From Criminological Diagnosis - An International Perspective, P 299-391, 1983, Franco Ferracuti and Marvin E Wolfgang, ed. - See NCJ-90506)

• NCJ Number: 90519
• Author(s): S A Shah; E S Kutzke
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 91 pages
• Sale Source: Lexington Books
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper considers current U.S. practices pertaining to the assessment of persons at various stages of the criminal justice process, including police decisionmaking, postconviction decisions, institutional classification, parole decisionmaking, and mental health evaluations.

Abstract

The discussion of police decisionmaking focuses on the discretionary decision about whether there is probable cause that a law has been violated. The postconviction decisions considered relate to the presentence evaluation, which is based on information obtained in the presentence investigation and report. The section on institutional classification covers classification procedures and processes, types of classification systems, classification for treatment purposes, and classification for management purposes. It is concluded that the typologies and classification systems identified may provide information relevant to basic causes of deviance or specify subtypes of offenders for whom particular programs or facilities might seem appropriate; however, the adequacy or success of treatment is deemed far from assured, as much additional research is needed pertaining to the identification of treatment goals, specification of differential treatment strategies, and elaboration of the appropriateness of treatment settings to accomplish these goals. The section on parole decisionmaking examines parole hearing and information, parole criteria, and assessment of risk. The concluding section reviews assessments of competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, sexual psychopathy, and dangerousness. The appendixes present a U.S. district court presentence report, a short-form presentence report for the New York State Division of Probation, an initial corrections classification report, a psychiatric evaluation and report on pretrial competency and criminal responsibility, an examination report regarding sexual psychopathy, and a computerized interpretation of psychological tests. A total of 205 notes are provided.