NCJ Number
222295
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2008 Pages: 474-483
Date Published
April 2008
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study attempted to validate Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) as a predictor of reoffense for young offenders between the ages of 10 and 16.
Abstract
In examining the YLS/CMI's predictive validity with regard to the likelihood of an offender committing an offense in a given time period, this study confirmed a significant relationship between time to reoffense and YLS/CMI score. Results indicated that the YLS/CMI has been found to be a valid predictor of recidivism, even demonstrating some relationship between time to reoffense and risk level. Although this relationship is significant, it is still relatively small and only improves correct classification rates by 11 percent over chance. There is some evidence that race, gender, pattern of risk, and ecological variables may moderate the relationship between recidivism and YLS/CMI school, thus highlighting the need for continued and further study of risk assessment protocol with the YLS/CMI. In responding to juvenile delinquency, formal systems like juvenile justice should ensure that they are reducing undesirable behavior and outcomes rather than exacerbating this social problem. Consequently, when paradigms suggest subpopulations of offenders that are detrimentally impacted by extensive contact with the system, service deliverers and criminologists are inclined to develop protocols and strategies that target offenders who would benefit most from a juvenile justice system response. Risk assessment measures then serve as a tool to identify recidivists, a group that has consistently been shown to commit the bulk of offenses in a given jurisdiction. The sample included 328 juveniles between 10 and 16 from the probation division of the juvenile justice system in a mid-sized industrial county in the Midwest. Table, figures, and references