At several points along the flowchart of the criminal justice system professionals are required to make judgments as to the likelihood an individual will commit a criminal act or another criminal act. For instance:
- Pre-trial release – Is the person who has merely been accused of a crime such a danger to the community that they must remain confined while awaiting trial?
- Post-Conviction sentencing – Is this person a viable candidate for supervision under probation or is they likely to commit another criminal act?
- Correctional classification – What institutional environment (level of confinement, program availability, etc.) is most appropriate for this individual for their safety as well as that of staff and other inmates?
- Release to community-based supervision (e.g., parole) – In light of the changes that have occurred since incarceration, is this individual suitable to complete their sentence under community-based supervision?
To assist in this determination, risk assessment instruments have been developed which, usually in combination with a clinical interview, will provide some measurable predictability of future criminal/violent behavior. Decisions about offender risk and potential for future recidivism are critical and can have dire consequences, including releasing offenders who are a serious threat to public safety, careers being tarnished or coming to an abrupt end as a result of negligence lawsuits, or imposing severe sanctions on offenders inaccurately identified as high risks for violence. So, do they work?
The student will be a PowerPoint presentation as follows:
- Conduct research on the topic of criminal/violent risk assessment.
- Identify two risk assessment instruments to compare and contrast.
- Develop a PPT slide presentation which includes the following:
- A brief summary of both risk assessments (for which population of offenders is the assessment most often used?)
- Details on the validity and reliability of each risk assessment
- The method, evidence and/or evaluation used in support of the risk assessment (i.e. identify a recent study and outline the findings)
- A comparison of each risk assessment, as well as contrasting the two
- A conclusion