Desktop Guide for Tribal Probation Personnel: The Screening and Assessment Process

• NCJ Number: 234463
• Author(s): Kimberly A. Cobb; Mary Ann Mowatt; Adam Matz; Tracy Mullins
• Date Published: May 2011
• Length: 80 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2007-IC-BX-K002
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Policy/Procedure Handbook/Manual

Annotation

This report presents a guide for tribal probation personnel to use in screening and assessing defendants eligible for probation.

Abstract

This guide provides resources for tribal probation personnel to use in screening and assessing defendants eligible for parole so that they may more effectively deal with the excessively large numbers of serious crimes faced by tribal justice authorities. As a result, tribal authorities are exploring new and innovative ways to deal with the crime problem, one of which includes the use of probation. Data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that of the 315 federally recognized Native American tribes, 175 had operating tribal courts, 70 percent of the tribal courts offer probation for adults, and 66 percent of tribal courts offer probation for juveniles. The information presented in this report will assist authorities in establishing effective probation programs. Section 1 examines the context of community corrections, while section 2 discusses the elements of the screening and assessment process: screening; comprehensive assessment; risk, need, and responsivity principles; comprehensive risk and need assessment; and other specialized screening and assessment tools. Section 3 examines the benefits of screening and assessment tools while section 4 provides guidance on choosing effective tools. Section 5 discusses the challenges to using assessment instruments, and finally, section 6 presents recommendations on successfully using screening and assessment results. Tables, figures, appendixes, and references