ABSTRACT
It is common practice for professionals to assess juveniles’ risk for reoffending at various decision points in the justice system (e.g. pre-trial detention, adjudication, parole). To help ensure that these assessments are as accurate as possible, researchers have developed a variety of risk assessment instruments to help evaluate risk of violence, sexual offending, and general offending. Many of these instruments have been found to significantly predict reoffending in adolescents. As researchers continue to learn about the dynamic nature of risk in adolescence, it has become more common for tools to include modifiable factors that are relevant to treatment planning. Some tools also incorporate protective factors, or strengths, which can help provide a more balanced perspective of youth. However, despite these important advances, significant work remains in ensuring that tools perform consistently across sex and race. In addition, although experts agree that the primary purpose of risk assessment is to manage and reduce risk, more research is needed to understand if, and under what conditions, risk assessment can effectively achieve this goal. As such, key areas for future research in the field include strengthening the link between risk assessment and risk management, as well as responding to important concerns about using risk assessment tools with diverse populations. Given the high stakes of correctional decisions for justice-involved adolescents and their communities, continued attention to these issues is paramount.
