Probation and Parole Study Guide
1. What kind of scientific research is used to develop (i.e., validate) risk assessment tools?
Statistical methods
Clinical diagnosis
Medical models
Interview data
2. Tara carries out an interview with parolees to anticipate risk of parole violations. The interview asks questions that have been shown to predict parole violations in existing research on parolees. Tara uses parolee answers to fill out a form that produces a risk score for the parolee. What type of assessment is Tara using with her structured interview?
Rehabilitative assessment
Actuarial assessment
Financial assessment
Clinical assessment
3.Which of the following is one of the three "focal concerns" noted in the Focal Concerns perspective from the Freiburger et al. article?
Biological attributes
Prosecutor preferences
Offender poverty levels
Practical concerns
4. Which of the following best fits one of Bonta's guidelines for assessment tools?
A community correctional agency should pick an assessment tool that is based on existing criminolgoical theory
Tools should be as expensive as possible
Offenders should be given incentive to participate in risk assessment
Agencies should avoid data-driven techniques for predicting criminal behavior
5. Which of the following is a reason for CCOs to use assessment tools, based on lecture?
It helps the CCO better investigate crimes
It saves time on paperwork
It gives the CCO an idea of what areas to focus the offender's plan for supervision
It helps the judge select an appropriate sentence for an offender
6. Indicate the appropriate type of risk factor for each of the following attributes.
A.Dynamic factor
B.Static factor
Number of residential moves in the last 6 months
- A. B.
Number of children
- A. B.
Age at first offense
- A. B.
Number of previous assessments
- A. B.
Ever lived with romantic partner
- A. B.
Reading level in 8th grade
- A. B.
Current employment status
- A. B.
Current educational attainment
- A. B.
Ever committed a sex crime
- A. B.
Any rehabilitation programming
- A. B.
Age of victim for first crime
- A. B.
7. According to lecture, how can CCOs use needs assessment in community corrections work?
Predicts dangerous behavior
CCOs can make decisions about parole revocations using needs assessment
CCOs can anticipate public acceptance of the parolee/probationer
Helps in planning programming for offenders
8. According to Viglione and colleagues (2015), how does risk and needs assessment contribute to improving community corrections practice?
Helps the CCO improve their supervision strategies
Public support improves when CCOs use risk assessment
Helps to allocate resources for treatment programming and controls
It saves time by reducing the number of meetings with probationers/parolees
9. Which of the following is the type of assessment tool that best predicts offender behavior, according to the readings and lecture?
Clinical assessment
Actuarial assessment
Financial assessment
Thematic assessment
10.Indicate the most appropriate term for developing assessment tools for each of the following findings about hypothetical (i.e., made-up) assessment tools. Any similarities in assessment tool names is entirely coincidental.
A.Validity
B.Reliability
- A. B.
The ASI-10 questionnaire predicts parole violations well for male inmates, but is less effective for female inmates.
- A. B.
The DNUP tool shows consistency in risk scores for violent reoffending, but is less consistent for other forms of reoffending.
- A. B.
The SUP-53 form provides weak guidance for CCOs in planning programming for clients.
- A. B.
The RTVSO consistently predicts sex offender recidivism.
- A. B.
The HAL-37 does a poor job of predicting reoffending, but it is a strong predictor of parole violations more broadly.
- A. B.
11. Regina is responsible for selecting a new assessment tool for her community corrections agency. The primary use the agency will have for the assessment tool will be risk and classification into supervision levels during community supervision. Which of the following generations of assessment tools best addresses the goals for the community corrections agency?
1st Generation
3rd Generation
Clinical Judgment
5th Generation
12. Vicky is a reentry officer that works in a minimum-security prison. As part of her job, Vicky administers a questionnaire that predicts the reoffending behaviors amongst inmates transitioning back into the community. The questionnaire that Vicky uses has been developed using existing data on reoffending amongst actual released offenders. What type of assessment is Vicky using with the questionnaire?
Actuarial assessment
Clinical assessment
Financial assessment
Rehabilitative assessment
13. Trisha is using a form that allows her to gauge how likely a parolee is to experience a drug relapse. What kind of tool is Trisha using?
Exit interviews
Supervision exams
Cost accounting
Risk and needs assessment