Juvenile Risk Assessment

Abstract

Overview Significant strides have been made in adolescent risk assessment since the 1990s. Professionals no longer have to rely on unstructured clinical judgments when conducting risk assessments for criminal behavior. The empirical validation of several adolescent-specific risk instruments, including the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), and, to a lesser extent, the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL-YV), provides the tools needed to conduct a reliable and effective evaluation. To maximize the effectiveness of these instruments, it is recommended that a risk evaluation be imbedded within the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model of case management. The RNR framework organizes a risk and intervention plan that is empirically based and shown to decrease recidivism. The YLS/CMI is based on the RNR model and has been consistently shown to predict recidivism with success across gender and minority status. The PCL-YV has demonstrated sound predictive validity with Caucasian males, but has received mixed and weaker results with females and minority status adolescents. Finally, emerging research on the SAVRY suggests that it is equivalent to or exceeds the predictive validity of the other two instruments for violent and general recidivism outcomes. Each of these commonly used risk tools has their strengths and weaknesses with regard to gender and cultural applications. Furthermore , a growing area within the risk assessment literature is the need to consider strengths and protective factors as part of the risk formulation and case planning process. Recommendations and principles are provided which consider all of these factors and describe how to best approach and integrate risk information when working with youth.