NCJ Number
240773
Date Published
April 2012
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This brief presents the two-stage screening and assessment process to determine risk and need levels, a core element of the Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) model.
Abstract
This brief examines the role of screening and assessment in the TJC model, how to select and implement screening for risk of reoffending and assessment of criminogenic risk and need factors, and how to integrate risk and need information into comprehensive jail intervention strategies. Findings show that implementing screening and assessment in a jail context to support reentry is feasible, and every TJC site was able to fully implement risk screening and implement risk/needs assessment for at least an initial target population; providing risk and needs assessment to TJC community partners is a key strategic planning step; continuous cross-training and reinforcement is necessary to build a system understanding of risk and needs information and how to use it; limited capacity to extract and analyze data can impede the effectiveness of screening and assessment; monitoring quality of screening and assessment is crucial; and the use of consistent case plan forms and assessment instruments, and the sharing of these forms among agencies, are key strategies to ensure continuity of service delivery during the transition process. The TJC model incorporates findings from the body of prisoner reentry research and the literature on evidence-based practices. Figures, references