Specialized Populations: When is ORAS not enough?

The Corrections Institute

Center for Criminal Justice Research

University of Cincinnati

The Ultimate Goal

• To develop the most comprehensive view of the person– Incorporate actuarial assessments,

structured evaluations, and professional judgment

Best Practices: The Use of a Actuarial Assessment

• Medical• Automobile• Insurance• Mechanical • Economics• Healthcare

Anybody Recognize This?

Probably Not. But You Probably Recognize This?

Effectiveness of the QWERTY v DVORAK

• Some dispute findings but most accept– DVORAK 33% fewer errors– Guinness Book of World Records

• 212 words a minute with DVORAK

– 30 times less stressful to hands– Ergonomically superior – Alternate hands – 70% of the keys used are on one row

Why QWERTY over DVORAK?

• QWERTY was more effective for typewriters

• Why was it not adopted once technology advanced?

– We already know what we are doing.

– We have been doing this for so long.

– It works the way we are doing it.

– It is too expensive to change.

– It will take too much to relearn what I am doing.

Goal of Assessment

• To capture a true picture of the person we are working with regarding his or her strengths, areas of general need, crime producing factors, and support networks

Creating a True PictureCriminogenic

Needs Specialized Population

Need Specific Assessments

Structured Professional

Judgment

Environment

Social Support

Criminogenic Needs

• Assess offenders using a valid instrument for the purpose of gathering a composite risk score/level

The Utility of the ORAS

• Broad measure of criminogenic needs– Overall risk level

• “Red Flags” for domain specific needs– Low– Moderate– High

Use a Valid Risk Assessment Instrument to Predict Recidivism

Clinical Judgement Risk Assessment0%

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Specialized Populations

• Sexual offenders• Domestic Violence• Operating Motor Vehicle while

Intoxicated• Violent offenders• Women offenders• Veteran offenders

Assessing Specialized Populations

• Consider general risk• Concentrate on areas that are

problematic for that type of offender• Remember, composite risk score relates

to the overall likelihood

Who Is More Likely to Reoffend?

• 1st time DUI• Drinking at a bar with friends• Crossed the double yellow line• .12 BA• Employed• Has a driver’s license• States “The cop was just doing

their job”• “It is not ok to drink and drive”• Family that supports sober

lifestyle

• 1st time DUI• Drinking at a bar with friends• Crossed the double yellow line• .12 BA• Unemployed• Driving w/o a license• States “The cop was out to get

me”• Everyone gets one DUI• Family who engages in alcohol

use on a regular basis

15

DUIs/OMVIs

• Not highly related to how much you drink

DUI/OMVI-Multiple DUIs

Two Typologies of DUIs

• Problem drinkers who drive

• Problem drivers who drink

Offender Types

• Sexual offender assessments– Rapid Risk Assessment of Sex Offense

Recidivism (RRASOR)– Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool

(MnSOST-R)– Static-2002R– Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide

(SORAG)

Violent/Anger

• HCR-20• Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG)• Hostile Interpretation Questionnaire

(HIQ)• Hostility Inventory

Domestic Violence

• Spousal Assault Risk Assessment• Danger Assessment

Individualized Needs within Each Domain

Domain

Targets for Change

Individual Needs

Domain Areas

Offender Types

Education, Employment,

and Education

Family and Social

Support

Substance Use

Peer Associations

Attitudes, Values, and

Beliefs

Targets for Change

• Education

• Employment

• Financial Situation

Family and Social Support

• Family of origin

• Current family

• Community support networks

• Housing

Substance Abuse

• Alcohol

• Drugs

– Type of drugs

Substance Abuse

Issue with peers?

Physiologically Addicted?

Poor emotional regulation?

Peers

• Prosocial networks

• Antisocial networks

Criminal Attitudes and Behavior Problems

• Prosocial/Antisocial Attitudes

• Empathy/Compassion

• Aggressiveness

• Risk Taking

NEED SPECIFIC ASSESSMENTS

Attitudes, Values, and Beliefs

• Criminal Sentiments Scale-M• Circumstances, Motivation, Readiness,

& Suitability• Jesness Inventory• Navaco Anger Scale and Provocation

Inventory

Drug/Alcohol

• Addiction Severity Index• Adult Substance Use Survey• Alcohol use disorders identification test• Level of Care Utilization System

Mental Health

• Brief Jail Mental Health Screen• Diagnostic Interview Schedule IV• MMPI-2• Personality Assessment Inventory• Traumatic Symptom Inventory

Family

• Ecomap• Genogram• Norbeck social Support Questionnaire

Education/Employment

• Adult Basic Learning Examination• Basic English Skills Test• Burns/Roe Informal Reading Inventory• Slossom Oral Reading Test• Tests of adult Basic Education

Professional Judgment

• Within each target—why is this an issue of this individual?

Environment

• How does the environment the person interacts within help, hurt, have no impact?

Social Support

• What resources does this person have or is available that can be leveraged to meet his/her needs?

Assessment

• On-going process– The more we know, the more we can tailor

our interventions

– One level of assessment is not enough

• Brian.Lovins@uc.edu