Probation Officer Assessments of Risk when the Youth Look Different: Contributions of Structured Professional Judgment to Concerns About Racial Bias

2020 ◽  
pp. 154120402095426
Author(s):  
Carla G. Munoz ◽  
Rachael T. Perrault ◽  
Gina M. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Racial Bias ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Risk Levels ◽  
Juvenile Probation Officers ◽  
Actuarial Risk ◽  
Structured Professional Judgment

Various groups have expressed considerable concern about the potential for actuarial risk assessments to exacerbate racial disparities in justice settings. This study examined that potential when using a different approach to risk assessment, structured professional judgment (SPJ), by comparing risk decisions made by evaluators when the examinee’s race was different versus the same as theirs. A large sample of youth (N = 1,308) evaluated on the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) by 137 juvenile probation officers (JPOs) in five states indicated the only moderation effect for the match or mismatch between JPOs’ and youths’ race/ethnicity was in the weight JPOs placed on five (out of 24) risk factors in their overall risk opinions. The match between JPOs' and youths' race had no bearing on JPOs’ final determination of youths’ risk levels. This study lends support for investigating the use of SPJ instruments as a method for minimizing racial bias.

Matching Services to Criminogenic Needs Following Comprehensive Risk Assessment Implementation in Juvenile Probation

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1136-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca J. Nelson ◽  
Gina M. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Juvenile Courts ◽  
Juvenile Probation ◽  
Related Case ◽  
Risk Levels ◽  
Case Planning

One emphasis of juvenile justice reform has been implementation of risk assessment instruments to improve case planning. This study examined the ability of juvenile probation departments to apply the risk-needs-responsivity (RNR) framework into case planning following a comprehensive implementation protocol. Data were collected on 385 adolescent offenders across three probation departments following implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk for Youth (SAVRY) and an RNR-related case planning policy. As expected, as risk levels of youth increased, probation departments assigned more services and addressed more criminogenic need areas in their case plans. Most case plans (86%) adhered to the policy to limit the number of needs addressed at one time. The quality of service-to-need matching varied by criminogenic need area, risk level, and site. Implications to juvenile courts’ and probation officers’ case planning and the challenges of research on service-to-need matching are discussed.

A Prevention-Based Paradigm for Violence Risk Assessment

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 617-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin S. Douglas ◽  
P. Randall Kropp
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Clinical Prediction ◽  
Violence Risk Assessment ◽  
Validation Procedure ◽  
Actuarial Prediction ◽  
Structured Professional Judgment ◽  
Risk Assessment And Management

The rationale for this article was to outline and describe an emerging model of prevention-based violence risk assessment and management and to discuss attendant clinical and research implications. This model draws on structured professional judgment rather than on actuarial prediction or unstructured clinical prediction. Its purpose is to prevent violence through the assessment of relevant violence risk factors and the application of risk management and intervention strategies that flow directly from these factors. The authors discuss the nature of the clinical tasks that stem from the model as well as a four-step validation procedure required to evaluate it.

Risk Assessment of Stalkers

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 590-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Randall Kropp ◽  
Stephen D. Hart ◽  
David R. Lyon
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Limited Time ◽  
Violence Risk Assessment ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Targeted Violence ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Structured Professional Judgment ◽  
The Relationship

Risk assessment of stalkers is difficult due to the diversity of stalking-related behaviors and the lack of research. The authors discuss three problems. First, stalking is a form of targeted violence, that is, violence directed at specific people known to the perpetrator. Second, stalking may include acts that are implicitly or indirectly threatening. Third, stalking can persist for many years, even decades. In contrast, most research on violence risk assessment ignores the relationship between victim and perpetrator, defines violence solely in terms of physical harm, and tracks perpetrators for limited time periods. The authors conclude that these problems make it impossible to rely on actuarial approaches when assessing risk for stalking at the present time, although it is possible to use structured professional judgment. They discuss some basic principles that can be used to guide stalking risk assessment within the framework of structured professional judgment.

Validity and Predictive Accuracy of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk in Criminal Forensic Evaluations

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Abbiati ◽  
Agathe Azzola ◽  
Julie Palix ◽  
Jacques Gasser ◽  
Valerie Moulin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Interrater Reliability ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Professional Judgment ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Forensic Evaluations ◽  
Recidivism Prediction ◽  
Structured Professional Judgment

Some actuarial and structured professional judgment (SPJ) risk-assessment instruments have already demonstrated their validity and predictive accuracy in expert criminal forensic evaluations. In contrast, little is known about the effectiveness of instruments identifying protective factors in risk of recidivism prediction. The present study was designed to evaluate the validity and predictive accuracy of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk (SAPROF) in 94 violent and sexual violent offenders assessed in a Swiss pretrial criminal forensic context. The SAPROF showed good interrater reliability, and was significantly correlated to predominately dynamic instruments but not to predominately actuarial instruments. However, in terms of predictive accuracy, the SAPROF did not perform as well as expected when compared with other instruments and with previous SAPROF accuracy validation studies. These results have implications for the use of the SAPROF in criminal forensic contexts risk assessment.

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