NCJ Number
152489
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1994) Pages: 468-480
Date Published
1994
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The Level of Supervision Inventory (LSI) is a quantitative risk/need assessment instrument used to identify an offender's risk of committing criminal behavior and need for clinical services; the current study examines the LSI's utility among Canadian male Federal offenders.
Abstract
Derived from a social learning view of criminal conduct, the LSI was developed to aid case managers in supervision decisions concerning adult probationers and parolees. The LSI research agenda to date has focused primarily on provincial offenders. This study expands LSI research to include Federal offender samples. Subjects were Federal inmates in the Ontario region of the Correctional Service of Canada. They consisted of 161 male inmates who ranged in age from 18 to 63 years. The measures used in the study were the LSI, which contains 54 items that denote specific risk variables rationally grouped into 10 subtotals that represent various risk/need areas; General Statistical Information on recidivism, which is an actuarial risk instrument used by the National Parole Board of Canada in parole decisionmaking; the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised; and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. The LSI displayed acceptable psychometric properties and showed convergent validity with measures of relevant criminogenic constructs. Also, violent and nonviolent offenders differed on LSI total score and several LSI subtotals. The results of the present study suggest several promising areas where treatment resources may be used best. The results suggest various treatment targets for alcohol-abusing and drug-abusing offenders. 3 tables and 28 references