Changing Criminogenic Risk/Need Factors: A Prelude to Recidivism Reduction

• NCJ Number: 215792
• Journal: Corrections Compendium Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: May/June 2006 Pages: 6-11
• Author(s): David J. Simourd; Daniel L. Lombardo; Pat McKernan
• Date Published: May 2006
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement; Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study used the revised Level of Service Inventory (LSI-R) to measure the overall risk/need level of a community corrections sample of offenders and to determine the degree to which offender scores on the LSI-R changed while participating in community-based programming.

Abstract

The overall LSI-R score upon beginning community corrections programming was an average of 28.6 for 688 offenders. After an average of 107.7 days, 276 offenders were again administered the LSI-R. The average score for these offenders was 27.1, which indicated a decrease in overall crime risk and criminogenic needs from the initial administration. The authors advise that although it is tempting to suggest that rehabilitative initiatives were responsible for the LSI-R subcomponent score reductions, no programmatic data were available to provide a precise estimate of the role of programming in reducing client risk/need levels. Until these data are available, the link between programming and the reductions in LSI-R scores must remain tentative. There were statistically significant decreases in scores on items pertaining to education/employment, financial, leisure/recreation, and attitude/orientation. The third administration of the LSI-R involved 52 offenders. It was conducted an average of 119.7 days after the second administration. The overall LSI-R average score for this sample was 23.7. Statistically significant score reductions occurred in the subcomponents of education/employment, financial, family/marital, accommodations, and attitude/orientation. The programming involved the services of a Day Reporting Center in Camden, NJ, which serves both male and female parolees in their transition from prison to the community. Programming focuses on such need areas as thinking skills, substance abuse, anger management, life skills, job readiness, education, and leisure and recreation programming. The considerable attrition in LSI-R data from initial assessment to the third assessment was due to early discharge and other administrative factors. 1 table and 23 references