During the last decade, the field of criminal justice has focused attentively on identifying programs and practices that are effective in reducing offender recidivism and improving public safety.  Researchers and practitioners have worked together to determine what works best with which offenders and, as a result, have determined that the revolving door of recidivism is not inevitable: positive outcomes for both offenders and communities are possible.  Because of the effectiveness of these evidenced based programs and practices, their use has spread to all facets of the justice system – from arrest to reentry. (National Center for State Courts, 2014, “Offender Risk & Needs Assessment Instruments: A Primer for Courts)

The leadership of the County Chief Adult Probation and Parole Officers Association of Pennsylvania (CCAPPOAP) has partnered with key state criminal justice stakeholders to develop a strategic plan through which the Adult Probation and Parole Departments can acquire the necessary knowledge, tools, guidance, and support to effectively implement evidence-based practices and programs throughout the Commonwealth.

One of the goals of CCAPPOAP strategic plan is to establish the routine and effective use of actuarial assessments for purposes of pretrial and post-conviction placement and supervision, and for programming.  A committee was formed to meet to following objectives of this goal; evaluating and endorsing 2-3 third and fourth generation risk and needs assessments; creating an assessment user’s manual; providing technical assistance, training, and funding for these tools; norming the assessments on a statewide and local populations; creating a pre-sentence investigation template that includes the risk and needs assessment information; and implementing a court-supported mechanism whereby Probation is given the authority to assign non-punitive programming informed by the risk and needs assessment in order to reduce an individual’s risk of recidivism.

The committee is pleased to share with you this manual on actuarial risk and needs assessments.  The information in these enclosed recommended tools can be used to inform decisions at the various points in the criminal justice system.  Providing information relevant to sentencing considerations about an offender’s amenability to supervision in the community, the types of treatment programs or other interventions most likely to reduce a specific offender’s risk of reoffending and the intensity of treatment which may be required to effect recidivism reduction.

In conclusion, several county probation and parole departments are experiencing early success with the use of a risk and needs assessment.  For some departments, field supervision caseloads have been reduced to only include moderate and high risk offenders.  Low risk caseloads have been created to include up to 500 cases, therefore, giving departments the opportunity to free up one or two officers to assist with moderate and high risk offenders.  Additionally, several of these departments have been able to secure risk reduction programs to meet the identified criminogenic needs of an offender.  These risk reduction programs would not have been realized without the use of an actuarial risk and needs assessment.