NCJ Number
196224
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 29 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 355-379
Date Published
August 2002
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article summarizes current knowledge about offender risk assessment and suggests to practitioners some guidelines for the selection and use of risk instruments.
Abstract
The article is outlined as a set of guidelines along with a supporting rationale. The first guideline is that the assessment of offender risk should be based on actuarial measures of risk. Boothby and Clement (2000) reported that three instruments specifically developed for offenders were infrequently used. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, the Level of Service Inventory-Revised, and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide are probably the best validated offender risk measures available today. There is ample evidence that actuarial assessments of risk are significantly superior to clinical assessments. A second guideline is that risk assessments should demonstrate predictive validity, and a third guideline is that assessment instruments that are directly relevant to criminal behavior should be used. The fourth guideline specifies that instruments derived from relevant theory should be selected. Other guidelines are as follows: sample multiple domains; assess criminogenic need factors; limit general personality and cognitive tests to the assessment of responsivity; use different methods to assess risk and needs; exercise professional responsibility; and be nice (the application of offender risk assessments should adhere to the principle of the least restrictive alternative). Overall, despite the advances, there is still a long way to go in assessing offender risk. The use of the best and most current offender assessment instruments is not widespread. Educating and encouraging psychologists and other professional staff about the latest research on offender assessment must continue. 70 references