NCJ Number
240896
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 56 Issue: 5 Dated: August 2012 Pages: 769-789
Date Published
August 2012
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the use of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) as a tool in guiding treatment strategies for treatment in drug courts.
Abstract
More than 2,000 drug courts in the United States provide supervision and substance-abuse treatment to thousands of offenders. Yet the treatment continuum from assessment to aftercare is underexplored. The effectiveness of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) as a risk assessment tool is well established. However, fewer studies have considered its use in guiding treatment strategies. In using the LSI-R, the drug court program relied on the structured interview protocol (not the risk classification scores) to identify criminogenic needs that then helped determine placement in a high- or low-needs treatment track. To evaluate the effectiveness of these treatment placement decisions, this research used the LSI-R scores to examine individual and group differences (N = 182). Significant and substantive differences at the individual and group levels were found thus providing empirical support for using the LSI-R as a link between assessment and treatment. Implications for developing standards and practice protocols for drug courts are discussed. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.