NCJ Number
212504
Date Published
2005
Length
122 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings from a validity and reliability evaluation of the Youth Justice Board’s Assessment for Young Offenders (ASSET).
Abstract
ASSET was developed by the Youth Justice Board in England and Wales as part of its goal of promoting consistency of practice within multidisciplinary youth offending teams (YOTs). The Board also viewed high quality youth assessment as a critical component of initiatives to reduce youth offending. ASSET was developed through discussions with a range of individuals and organizations working with youth and through a review of the literature on risk factors contributing to delinquent behavior among youth. The evaluation involved a review of 3,395 ASSET profiles completed by YOT staff, as well as data from 627 “What do YOU think?” forms completed by young offenders and comparative self-assessment data completed by a school population. Twelve-month reconviction data were examined to compare with ASSET predictions of risk. Results indicated that ASSET was able to predict reconviction with 67 percent accuracy, which is comparable to the prediction validity found with adult offender assessments. The predictive accuracy of ASSET remained stable in relation to specific groups of young offenders and high levels of consistency were found with individual raters. In terms of ASSET’s reliability, the findings indicated fairly good reliability between teams within YOTs as well as between staff from different professional backgrounds. Ongoing research is investigating the accuracy of ASSET in measuring change over time. Recommendations include the provision of guidance to YOT staff on how to interpret and use ASSET scores. Figures, tables, footnotes, appendixes, bibliography