PUBLICATION ADVISORY

NIJ Develops Tools to Assess Risk of Prisoner Recidivism

      WASHINGTON — The Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice today published an article based on a report that examines risk and needs assessment tools (RNA) that are used within the corrections field to identify prisoners who have a greater risk of re-offending, breaking prison rules and violating the conditions of community supervision.

      Risk and needs assessment instruments can improve correctional policy and practice, but the tools currently used by many in the field are often outdated, inefficient and unreliable.  Today’s report offers guidelines built around four fundamental principles for the responsible and ethical use of RNAs:  fairness, efficiency, effectiveness and communication.  Each of these principles contributes to an innovative, practical checklist of steps practitioners can use to fulfill the potential of such instruments to improve decision-making within corrections and ultimately reduce recidivism.

      TITLE:  Redesigning Risk and Need Assessment in Corrections
 

      AUTHOR:  National Institute of Justice
 

      HERE:  https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/redesigning-risk-and-need-assessment-corrections

      To receive notifications of new NIJ publications, register here.

      The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law.  More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

###

OFFICE:  nij.ojp.gov
CONTACT:  Sheila Jerusalem at 202-598-0793 or [email protected]