NCJ Number
242651
Date Published
2006
Length
106 pages
Annotation
This monograph reviews contemporary juvenile detention risk-screening technology in the United States from the perspective of sites involved in the Annie E. Casey's Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI).
Abstract
Risk screening is the process of evaluating each arrested minor in order to determine his/her need for secure, locked confinement. A basic tool used in risk screening is a detention risk assessment instrument (RAI). The risk assessment instrument consists of a written checklist of criteria that are applied in rating each juvenile for specific detention-related risks. The overall risk score is used to guide the intake officer in deciding whether to detain or release an arrested youth. RAIs are locally designed, and they vary in scope and format from site to site. Within JDAI sites, however, they are all point-scale instruments, which assign points for various risk factors, which together produce a total risk score that indicates whether the youth is eligible for secure detention, non-secure detention, alternative program, or release to his/her home. Based on site monitoring data, the risk instruments developed within JDAI have been effective in curbing subjective or inappropriate criteria for decisions to place youth in locked facilities. The first part of this monograph examines risk-screening basics, including how risk instrument technology has evolved and has been applied at JDAI sites throughout the Nation. The second part of the monograph presents a step-by-step guide for the development, testing, and implementation of juvenile detention risk-assessment instruments. The final section of the monograph addresses some of the common problems experienced by JDAI sites using new RAIs; related trouble-shooting tips are offered. 21 references and appended risk assessment instrument examples, decision scales and cut off scores for RAIs, and details of RAI test reported from 1 county