week 8

Question 1

What is the consequence of over-predicting reoffending?

Answer 1

Depriving someone of liberty, reducing quality of life, and taking up resources.

Question 2

What is the consequence of under-predicting reoffending?

Answer 2

Increased victims, harm, and arrests.

Question 3

Why are risk assessments important?

Answer 3

They inform decisions about managing offenders and predict future behavior, reoffending likelihood, and harm potential.

Question 4

What does the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model emphasize?

Answer 4

Matching risk levels to treatment, targeting criminogenic needs, and tailoring interventions to individual strengths and learning styles.

Question 5

What is the RISK principle?

Answer 5

How likely a person is to engage in criminal behaviour
Not all offenders carry the same risk
- Matching service intensity to risk levels, prioritizing high-risk offenders, and avoiding unnecessary treatment for low-risk offenders.

tells us WHO to target

Question 6

What is the NEED principle?

Answer 6

the areas in a person’s life that should be targeted for intervention/treatment in order to decrease the likelihood of future offedning

tells us WHAT to target

Question 7

what is the RESPONSITIVITY principle?

Answer 7

• What personal strengths and/or specific individual factors might influence the effectiveness of treatment services
• The style and mode of service should be matched to the individuals abilities and learning styles
• Any intervention needs to be tailored to the learning style of the offender (ex. If the offender can’t read, can’t speak the language)

protective factors or individual factors

Question 8

Why the risk level is important in relation to the treatment outcome?

Answer 8

intensive or low treatment is important to take into account based on the risk levels. Metanalisys showed a difference between the level of treatment and the risk levels.

so the risk pricniple tells us who to target

Question 9

Define ‘Criminogenic Needs’.

Answer 9

Dynamic, changeable risk factors directly linked to criminal behavior (e.g., antisocial attitudes, substance abuse).

Question 10

List the “Big Four” risk factors.

Answer 10

1. Anti-social Attitudes
2. Anti-social Peers
3. Anti-social Personality Pattern
4. History of Anti-Social Behavior (non-criminogenic)

Most highly correlated with criminal behavior among all other factors

Question 11

What are ‘Non-Criminogenic Needs’, and why address them?

Answer 11

Needs unrelated to criminal behavior (e.g., housing,self-esteem, mental health, lack of parenting, medical needs). Addressing them can remove barriers to effective treatment.

Question 12

what are the other four risk factors?

Answer 12

5. Family / Marital Factors
6. Lack of Achievement in Education / Employment
7. Lack of Pro-social Leisure Activities
8. Substance Abuse

Question 13

What are the four methods of risk assessment?

Answer 13

1. Clinical risk assessment: Professional judgment (First Generation).
2. Actuarial risk assessment: Uses validated tools and static risk factors (Second Generation).
3. Actuarial tool with dynamic risk factors: Includes criminogenic needs (Third Generation).
4. Combination of actuarial and professional judgment: Integrates third-gen tools with expertise (Fourth Generation).

Question 14

What are the strengths and weaknesses of first-generation (clinical) risk assessment?

Answer 14

Strengths: Considers dynamic factors and uses professional expertise.
Weaknesses: Highly variable due to assessor judgment.

Question 15

What are the strengths and weaknesses of second-generation (actuarial) risk assessment?

Answer 15

Strengths: Cost-effective, fast, unbiased, population-based.
Weaknesses: Focuses only on static risk factors, ignores criminogenic needs.

Question 16

Why are fourth-generation risk assessments considered best practice?

Answer 16

They combine actuarial tools, dynamic factors, and professional judgment to:

Include offender strengths.
Assess responsivity factors.
Integrate assessments into treatment and case planning.

Question 17

What is the Offender Group Reconviction Scale (OGRS)?

Answer 17

• Purely actuarial tool.
• Uses static factors (age, gender, criminal history).
• Predicts reconviction within 2 years.
• Pros: Quick and easy.
• Cons: Ignores dynamic factors and offender needs.

Question 18

What is the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R)?

Answer 18

Actuarial tool assessing static and dynamic factors.
Provides risk of reoffending and treatment needs.

Question 19

What is the Offender Assessment System (OASys)?

Answer 19

Structured clinical tool for England and Wales.
Combines actuarial file review with offender interviews.

Question 20

Name tools for assessing specific types of recidivism.

Answer 20

HCR-20: For violent behavior.
SARN: Adjusts static risk with clinical judgment of 16 dynamic risk factors.

Question 21

What are general offending behavior programs based on?

Answer 21

Cognitive social learning theory.

• Observational learning from family, peers, and media.
• Promote prosocial skills to reduce offending behavior.

Question 22

What are issues linked to offending behavior programs?

Answer 22

High non-completion rates:
Community: 57%; Prison: 11%-16%.
Non-completers have higher reconviction rates.
High-risk offenders more likely to drop out but benefit most from completion.

Question 23

What is the most accurate assessment?

Answer 23

The most accurate assessment requires use of BOTH an actuarial tool and professional judgment.