NCJ Number
51307
Date Published
1978
Length
37 pages
Annotation
FORMS USED IN RISK SCREENING, POLICY DIRECTIVES REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF RISK SCREENING, AND THE RESEARCH STUDY THAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RISK SCREENING FORMAT ARE PRESENTED.
Abstract
SAMPLES OF THE RISK SCREENING SHEETS USED IN THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS PROGRAMS ARE PROVIDED, AND COPIES OF POLICY DIRECTIVES ARE PRESENTED TO SHOW THE USE OF THE RISK SCREENING PROCEDURE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: SECURITY CLASSIFICATION, PRISONER PLACEMENT AND INTERINSTITUTIONAL TRANSFER, TEMPORARY RELEASE FROM CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES, WORK-PASS PROGRAMS, AND PAROLE BOARD EXECUTIVE SESSIONS FOR DANGEROUS OFFENDERS. TO DEVELOP A VALID VARIABLE LIST FOR RISK SCREENING, A POPULATION OF ALL MALE INMATES PAROLED BETWEEN JANUARY AND DECEMBER 1971 IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN WAS STUDIED. A 50 PERCENT RANDOM SAMPLE OF PAROLEES WAS SELECTED FROM THE POPULATION. THE VARIABLE LIST WAS DEVELOPED FROM A REVIEW OF PAROLE PREDICTION LITERATURE, FREQUENT MEETINGS WITH CORRECTIONS ADMINISTRATORS, AND NUMBEROUS CONTACTS WITH UNIVERSITY SPECIALISTS IN THE FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, STATISTICS, AND MATHEMATICS. THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES WERE CATEGORIZED LOOSELY INTO THREE TIME FRAMES: TIME 1--VARIABLES RELATED TO THE OFFENDER PRIOR TO HIS TIME OF INCARCERATION FOR THE INSTANT OFFENSE; TIME 2--VARIABLES MEASURED DURING INCARCERATION FOR THE INSTANT OFFENSE; AND TIME 3--VARIABLES RELATED TO THE OFFENDER'S PAROLE PERIOD. THESE VARIABLES THEN WERE CORRELATED WITH RECIDIVISM, SPECIFIED BY SEVERITY OF BEHAVIOR. THE AUTOMATIC INTERACTION DETECTION TECHNIQUE, A SYSTEM DESIGNED TO DETECT SIGNIFICANT INTERACTIONS AMONG A LARGE NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT VARIABLES IN RELATION TO A SINGLE DEPENDENT OR CRITERION VARIABLE, WAS USED TO PREDICT RECIDIVISM. A SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS AND BIBLIOGRAHY ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)