Risk Assessments Within The Criminal Justice System

1280 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of community corrections in the criminal justice system

Risk assessments are an essential component to the criminal justice system because without them jails and prisons could not perform their duties and would not be as efficient. Risk in principle is a fact, yet danger is an issue of perception, how much will society tolerate. People tolerate a lot of risks without noticing the dangers. Risk assessments let us know what is not easily noticed though they still have some blind spots where studies need to be done. The ways that community correction agencies use risk assessments, the elements that are risk assessed, and strengths and weaknesses of most risk assessments will be discussed.

Uses of risk assessments

There are various risk assessments that exist. For example, there are different ones for pre-sentencing, parole, and in-between that time with prison and jail time served for appropriate measures to be determined. These will help the offender get what is needed based on the severity of their needs. For instance, the specific treatments and/or programs for rehabilitation to occur the offender will need to notify the right authorities and the way to do that is filling out an assessment of risk.

The first issue to be tackled for an offender is a drug referral if needed since other interventions and programs will not have much effect if the offender will not retain them due to drug use. These treatment facilities communicate with the probation officers. They keep them informed on the offender’s progress and/or issues the offender has. The lower risk offenders are eligible for treatment programs. (Loftus, lecture)

There are more opportunities that apply to lower risk offenders, not just treatments and programs. Only lower risk offenders in jail have a chance to volunteer for...

... middle of paper ...

...ing education. The weaknesses that were touched upon were social groups, gender gap, and racial influences.

Works Cited

Gould A. Laurie, Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 6(3) (2010), P. 267–285, Perceptions of Risk, Need, and Supervision Difficulty in the Community Corrections Setting, University of Texas at Arlington, http://www.jstor.org/. Accessed: 9/10/11

Loftus Rebecca PH.D., Lecture on risk assessments, Fall 2011, Probation and Community Probations. Noted: 9/6/11 & 9/8/11

MILLS F. JEREMY AND KRONER G. DARYL, Criminal Behavior and Mental Health Vol. 16 (2006), P. 155–166, The effect of discordance among violence and general recidivism risk estimates on predictive accuracy, 1Bath Institution, Bath, Canada and Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; 2Pittsburgh Institution, Pittsburgh, Ontario, Canada, http://www.jstor.org/. Accessed: 9/10/11

Show More
Related

  • Risk-Needs-Responsivitiy Model

    2728 Words  | 6 Pages

    This essay begins with the introduction of the Risk-Needs-Responsivitiy Model which was developed to assess offending and offer effective rehabilitation and treatment (Andrews & Bonta, 2007). The R-N-R model “remains the only empirically validated guide for criminal justice interventions that aim to help offenders” (Polashek, 2012, p.1) consisting of three principles which are associated with reductions in recidivism of up to 35% (Andrew & Bonta, 2010); risk, need and responsivity. Firstly, the risk principle predicts the offenders risk level of reoffending based on static and dynamic factors, and then matched to the degree of intervention needed. Secondly, the R-N-R targets individual’s criminogenic needs, in relation to dynamic factors. Lastly, the responsivity principle responds to specific responsivity e.g. individual needs and general responsivity; rehabilitation provided on evidence-based programming (Vitopoulous et al, 2012).

    Read More

  • Essay On Drug Courts

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    The complex issues of dealing with offenders in the criminal justice system has been a point of ongoing controversy, particularly in the arena of sentencing. In one camp there are those who believe offenders should be punished to the full extent of the law, while others advocate a more rehabilitative approach. The balancing act of max punishment for crimes committed, and rehabilitating the offender for reintegration into society has produced varying philosophies. With the emanation of drug-induced crimes over the past few decades, the concept of drug treatment courts has emerged. The premise of these courts is to offer a “treatment based alternative to prison,” which consist of intensive treatment services, random drug testing, incentives

    Read More

  • Criminal Justice Management Case Assignment Models

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    Managing case assignments allows for the offender to have the best opportunities for reintegration into the community as well as for the criminal justice system to successfully supervise the offender. There exist 4 different case assignment models that are used most frequently to provide the offender with his or her most basic needs and services. The first caseload assignment model is the conventional model. The conventional model uses an unsystematic method to assign offenders to community supervision officers. This random assignment of offenders leaves the officer with a variety of different types of offenders.

    Read More

  • Prison Misconduct

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...rulson, Marquart, Vaughn, Bever (2010). Additional research has revealed that individual-level risk factors, like gang history, recurrent prison confinements, active criminal justice status, previous arrests and convictions, substance abuse history, and others are associated with prison misconduct and violence among inmates (DeLisis, Caudill, Trulson, Marquart, Vaughn, Bever (2010). In other research inmates’ psychological characteristic were studied such as anger in relation to their criminal history, these variables also relate to misconduct in prison.

    Read More

  • The War at Home: Veterans

    1966 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tsai, J., Rosenchedk, R. A., Kasprow, W. J., & McGuire, J. F. (2013). Risk of incarceration and

    Read More

  • How an Offender's Race, Ethnicity and Race May Influence the Likelyhood of Pretrial Detention

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    These studies specify the factors that judges must take into consideration in making decisions regarding pretrial release or detention. These factors are: (1) the nature and circumstances of the offense charged, including whether the offense is a crime of violence or involves a controlled substance; (2) the weight of the evidence against the defendant; (3) the history and characteristics of the defendant; and (4) the nature and seriousness of the danger to any person or the community that would be posed by the defendant’s release. The defendant’s “history and characteristics” include the defendant’s “character, physical and mental condition, family ties, employment, financial resources, length of residence in the community, community ties, past conduct, history relating ...

    Read More

  • Specialized Courts

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    Drug courts are, as the title states, for offenders with drug problems. The participants chosen for this method agree to terms of treatment, drug testing, and counseling. Their participation can lower their sentences and sanctions or even drop the charges against them completely. Supervision is used to monitor the offender’s participation in the various programs they are assigned, while also verifying their abstinence from drug use through testing (National Criminal Justice Reference Service, 2011). According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service website, in 2009, there were about 2,400 drug courts in the U.S. These courts are separated into smaller categories based on the age or circumstances of the offenders, such as juveniles, adults, families, veterans, and even college students (OJP, 2010).

    Read More

  • criminal justice internship

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    All in all, the ideas surrounding the criminal justice system were affirmed by the field practice experience. Many open doors have resulted from the venture into the field of probation. As an advocate and future employee of the criminal justice system the skills and intellect gained from the college of criminal justice at SHSU along with the internship opportunity with the Dallas County Adult Probation Department will serve as a path to a successful career. The talented individuals and extraordinary situations encountered on the journey will not be forgotten.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Alternatives To Prison

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is said that prison should be used for more serious crimes such as rape, assault, homicide and robbery (David, 2006). Because the U.S. Prison is used heavily for punishment and prevention of crime, correctional systems in the U.S. tend to be overcrowded (David, 2006). Even though prisons in the U.S. Are used for privies on of crime it doesn 't work. In a 2002 federal study, 67% of inmates that

    Read More

  • Correctional Goals And Deprisonment In The Criminal Justice System

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unfortunately, the criminal justice system is a vital piece of today’s society. Without it, the public would be free to do whatever they choose with no real consequence to negative actions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 3 million workers were employed in the criminal justice field in 2015 (Occupational Employment, 2016). This is made up of countless different agencies, including law enforcement, corrections, homeland security, and many more. Corrections is a key element in the criminal justice system, which has its own unique functional philosophy, administrative structure and functions, theoretical assumptions that govern its existence, organizational mission, goals and objectives, and division of responsibilities.

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Drug Courts

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    Right now in the United States there are over 2 million people incarcerated in the country’s prisons and jails. Out of this population about one-quarter of these inmates have been convicted of a drug offense. With drug offense arrests increasing nationwide and the prison population increasing there is an alternative to incarceration has been used over the past two decades in many cities across the country. This alternative is in the form of local drug courts that are now found in most major cities in the United States. A drug court is a specialized court in which the judge, prosecutor, public defender or private attorney, probation officers, and treatment counselors work together to help chemically dependent offenders obtain needed treatment and rehabilitation in an attempt to break the cycle of addiction and further criminal offenses. Some argue that treatment rather than incarceration is a waste of time and valuable resources that could be used elsewhere. Research however has shown that court ordered treatment is the best option for drug offenders. Treatments through drug court has proven to be less expensive than incarceration and has also been shown to reduce crime and provide a lower relapse and re-arrest rate for offenders that are placed in drug courts as opposed to those that are not.

    Read More

  • Problem-Solving Criminal Justice Initiative

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was this effort that identified the problem as failures of the judicial process. These failures included sluggish courts, increased levels of recidivism, and a significant loss of public trust (Ballenstedt, 2008). To solve the problem, the program takes a multifaceted approach to punishment in non-violent cases. Through the program, justices have more options available to them when sentencing such offenses as drug possession, prostitution, or even shoplifting. The concept combines social services with punishment in order to reduce reliance on expensive and ineffective short-term jail sentences for non-violent offenders and boost the community’s confidence in the system (Ballenstedt, 2008).

    Read More

  • Models of Corrections

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    This model of corrections main purpose was to reintroducing the offenders in to the community. This Program was invented to help offenders in the transition from jail to the community, aid in the processes of finding jobs and stay connected to their families and the community. The needs of these individuals are difficult: the frequency of substance abuse, mental illness, unemployment, and homelessness is elevated among the jail population.

    Read More

  • Past, Present and Future of Probation and Parole

    2026 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... an inmate is release with the use of parole then they should be assigned a parole and probation officer. By assigning both, the offender now has to report to both officers. The report days would be different and at first should be weekly for a predetermined amount of time then become bi-weekly, eventually working to a once a month visit to the probation and parole officers. It should also be allowed that the probation and parole officers can go to the offenders home and/or job at random times to “check-up” on the offender. With the offender, not knowing if and when this could happen would keep them “on their toes”. With a drug offender, the use of random drug testing that could happen at either a office visit, in the home or on the job, would most likely cause the offender to think about using drugs while on probation/parole. The one thing that will make probation and parole successful is the supervision of the programs.

    Read More

  • Mental Illness and Violent Crime

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    The data gathered in the Teplin, Abram & McClelland (1994) research was conducted in the Cook county jail in Chicago during a six year period, using interview techniques during the intake process of 728 inmates. They then tracked the participants over the six years by monitoring their rap sheets. What sets this research apart from the others is that they utilized the population of a jail versus a prison. Typically, once in prison, the time spent there is long whereas in jail, the incarceration time is usually much shorter as the inmates are in jail for lesser crimes or are awaiting trial. In any case, there is a larger turnaround and more opportunity to obtain diverse long term data.

    Read More

More about Risk Assessments Within The Criminal Justice System

Open Document