Chapter 6: Offender Assesment
Mini Debate:
“Assessment is the engine that drives effective interventions. – Edward Latessa” (Textbook, page 143)
What does the word effective mean?
Effective- the ability to produce the intended result or outcome.
What is the deeper meaning behind this quote?
Assessment drives all intervention decisions.
It determines: risk level, needs, and supervision intensity.
Without assessment, interventions are ineffective and can increase recidivism.
Why has this statement been made?
Research shows that interventions only work when they are based on accurate assessment.
Assessment is needed to match the right level and type of intervention to the right person.
Without assessment, programs are applied blindly, which wastes resources and can increase recidivism instead of reducing it.
Without assessment, interventions become guesswork and can increase recidivism.
Management vs. Reduction
Risk Management:
(Controls risk in the short term)
Focuses on determining risk level in terms of reoffending or causing harm.
Uses assessment tools that examine past behavior, current behavior, and relevant personal and social factors.
Once risk level is identified, the system provides sanctions and supervision to manage that risk.
Sanctions and supervision may include regular check-ins, drug testing, curfews, and closer monitoring to ensure conditions are followed.
Emphasizes control, compliance, and public safety during the period of supervision.
Main goal: Maintaining public safety and keeping behavior in check while the individual is under supervision.
Risk Reduction:
(Reduces risk in the long term)
Focuses on determining an individual’s risk level and identifying the criminogenic needs that contribute to criminal behavior.
Uses assessment tools to identify specific criminogenic needs such as substance abuse, antisocial thinking, lack of employment or education, and negative peer influences.
Once risk level and criminogenic needs are identified, the system uses intervention and supervision to reduce the likelihood of future offending.
Risk reduction still requires supervision, but supervision alone is not enough without intervention
Intervention and supervision may include treatment programs, cognitive behavioral interventions, counseling, education, job training, and structured supervision that supports behavior change.
Emphasizes changing behavior by addressing the underlying causes of criminal activity rather than simply controlling it.
Main Goal: Reducing future offending by changing the factors that lead individuals to commit crime.