A Primer on Risk Assessment for Legal Decisionmakers
34 Pages Posted: 19 Apr 2021 Last revised: 22 Jun 2021
Date Written: April 14, 2021
Abstract
This primer is addressed to judges, parole board members, and other legal decisionmakers who use or are considering using the results of risk assessment instruments (RAIs) in making determinations about post-conviction dispositions, as well as to legislators and executive officials responsible for authorizing such use. It is meant to help these decisionmakers determine whether a particular RAI is an appropriate basis for legal determinations and whether evaluators who rely on an RAI have done so properly. This primer does not take a position on whether RAIs should be integrated into the criminal process. Rather, it provides legal decision-makers with information about how RAIs are constructed and the types of information they provide, with the goal of facilitating their intelligent selection and use.
Keywords: risk assessment, sentencing, judicial decisionmaking, recidivism
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