NCJ Number
232350
Journal
Legal and Criminological Psychology Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2010 Pages: 341-356
Date Published
September 2010
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The goal of the present research was to develop a screening measure to assist in identifying offenders at risk for drop-out or expulsion from correctional programmes.
Abstract
The DRS consists of five items, including static and dynamic risk factors for recidivism as well as motivation for intervention. It significantly predicted drop-out/expulsion in the development sample (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = .72) and performed similarly in the validation sample (AUC = .70). The results indicate that the DRS is a valid screening instrument for risk of drop-out/expulsion. Prior to commencement of a treatment programme, offenders with high scores on the DRS could be more thoroughly assessed and, if necessary, targeted with pre-treatment efforts to increase their motivation and general readiness for treatment. Non-Aboriginal male offenders (N=5,247) were randomly divided into a development sample (N=2,617) and a validation sample (N=2,630). In the development sample, individual predictors were identified through univariate and multivariate analyses, weighted based on their relationship with drop-out/expulsion, and combined into a composite measure we called the drop-out risk screen (DRS). Tables and references (Published Abstract)