Assessment

The Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model can be used by justice practitioners in order to assess the likelihood that a  youth will continue involvement with the justice system, what the individual needs in order to lead down a path to success, and what should be done in order to help youth and their families.

Validated risk assessment tools

A validated assessment tool is one that has been sufficiently evaluated and is shown to adequately predicts what it was intended to predict, in this case, reoffending. The tool your department uses should be validated for the population you serve and can help increase standard decision-making and design effective case plans.[1] As a part of routine practice, risk assessments should be administered for all youth at standard intervals throughout their case. It is also recommended to reassess for risk at the end of the case. All risk assessment scores should be documented for each youth on your caseload. You should be able to use the information recorded to assess change. The department can use it to assess progress as well.  

It is important to use professional discretion and pay close attention to ensuring that the use of the tools does not exacerbate negative effects of societal biases toward certain subpopulations. To mediate concerns of bias, is critical to evaluate and treat youth as individuals considering their unique strengths, needs, and cultural associations (NRC, 2013). The Urban Institute identified a set of research informed practices to help this include:[2]

• “Conduct assessments in the language in which the youth is proficient.[3]
• Offer audio assessment to accompany youth with reading disabilities.  
• Avoid risk assessment tools that rely heavily on arrest records, as they are especially susceptible to racial bias.[4][5][6]
• Consider supplementing standard assessment tools with instruments that have been developed exclusively for the population of interest (for example, the Early Assessment Risk List for Girls (EARL-21G)). Additionally, some tools such as the YLS/CMI have evidence of validity for a variety of populations.[7]
• Test for interrater agreement—or agreement in results among those administering the assessment—of the tool, especially as the tool is used with youth from different cultural groups or from cultural groups that differ from that of the person administering the assessment.[8]
• Consider how unconscious bias (attitudes and stereotypes that unconsciously affect how people view and react to others) may shape interactions with youth and their caregivers or supportive adults.”

Components of the RNR model include interventions that focus on high-risk individuals (the higher the risk, the more intervention), their dynamic risk factors (criminogenic needs), and their cognitive abilities.[10] This model specifically focuses on eight central factors:[11]

1. History of antisocial behavior
2. Antisocial personality pattern
3. Antisocial cognition
4. Antisocial associates
5. Family/marital circumstances
6. School/work
7. Leisure/recreation
8. Substance abuse

It is important to ensure that programming addresses the last six factors listed because they are dynamic risk factors, so they can be changed. Programming should also take the first four into special consideration since they are the four factors that are most associated with reoffending.[12] One and two are static factors that need to inform the way you respond to youth. Three through eight are dynamic factors and will form the foundation for setting appropriate and focused goals for the youth.

Once risk factors have been identified, it is also important to determine what protective factors will help lead to the youth’s success. Protective factors, much like risk factors, can belong to the following domains: individual, family, peer, school, and community.[13] The specific factors under these domains can be informed by the existence of protective factors indicators, which are evidence of the existence of a specific factor. For example, if a youth is resilient this can be indicated by having an easy-going temperament and being outgoing.[14]

When identifying protective factors and responsivity, remember to take the youth’s strengths and interests into consideration in order to engage them in their own success. By asking youth what they like to do and what they think their strengths are, you can identify different things that will ensure their success by increasing their responsivity.

EBP is important for probation officers because they are direct care providers that are responsible for the best outcomes possible. If EBPs are not used or are implemented incorrectly, youth’s lives may be negatively impacted and the number of youth under your care can increase because they will continue to be involved in the juvenile justice system.

There are differing ideas about what constitutes an evidence-based practice, but Crimesolutions.gov uses a continuum to rank programs as  Effective, Promising, Inconclusive Evidence, and No Effects. Those programs rated as Effective are found to have strong effects when implemented properly, while Promising programs are only supported by some evidence. If you are trying to assess whether or not a practice or program is evidence-based, search Crimesolutions.gov.

Some key evidence-based findings have indicated that programs:[15]

• Are most effective when they target high-risk youth because they have the most room to improve
• Should be focused on a therapeutic philosophy because punitive programs do not work and in some cases can increase justice involvement
• Such as mentoring, group, and mixed programs have shown the largest effects for the population you are serving. You don’t have to buy a program. Local programs with no name are often just as effective as long as they are based upon the same principles. This means that you can tailor programming to fit your community as long as the principles are adhered to.
• Should be implemented carefully, ensuring that youth receive the right amount of treatment and that it is delivered the way it is shown to work. This will depend on the population that the program is intended to target

“We, in Pennsylvania, have been in a constant state of implementation of new and best practices. At some point, we need a period of no new initiatives and dedicate our time to refine the best practices that have been implemented. It appears systems always want to focus on the new and best things they are doing, rather than refining the numerous practices implemented.” —JPO Administrator, Pennsylvania

When choosing what programs to implement, make sure that you are targeting the correct population. All programming that is chosen should be shown to be effective for youth. Adult programming cannot always be applied to youth because of their unique needs. Additionally, each youth has his or her own needs, and it is imperative that programming addresses these needs. For example, if the youth you are providing care for does not have substance abuse issues, do not use a program that is intended for substance users. Risk assessments and the principles of the RNR model should be able to provide some of the information that is appropriate when determining programming and effectiveness.

With these practices in mind, other ways to create and assess programs for your community are:[16]

• Evaluate an existing program. If a program or program component are found ineffective, research can be used to change problem areas to ones that are proven to work.
• Start a program that has shown success. Using a program that already has shown effectiveness is an easy way to make sure that you’re implementing a quality program. Just remember that when starting this kind of program that you pay attention to the target population of the program and exactly how it should be implemented.
• Create your own program based on research. When creating your own program, make sure that you implement it in accordance with the research in order to garnish the best effects.
• Continually evaluate the program. Ensure the program remains effective for the population you are serving by reevaluating it routinely or when major changes occur.