Risk Assessments Within The Criminal Justice System Essay

Risk assessments are an essential component to the criminal justice system because without them jails and prisons could not perform their duties and would not be as efficient. Risk in principle is a fact, yet danger is an issue of perception, how much will society tolerate. People tolerate a lot of risks without noticing the dangers. Risk assessments let us know what is not easily noticed though they still have some blind spots where studies need to be done. The ways that community correction agencies use risk assessments, the elements that are risk assessed, and strengths and weaknesses of most risk assessments will be discussed. Uses of risk assessments There are various risk assessments that exist. For example, there are different†¦show more content†¦One could argue that this is also a method of rehabilitation due to learning how to work on a team and preparing the individuals for a real world job. Without the risk assessment it would not be possible to accurately determine who is a lower risk offender for these volunteer services. Elements of risk assessments Prior record(s) have a huge impact on the decisions to sentence and the duration of time served. The conclusions in the Criminal Behavior and Mental Health article showed, â€Å"There is a distinct advantage when attempting to predict recidivism to employing measures such as the LSI-R, which includes dynamic variables and intervention related criminogenic domains, over a measure purely of fixed characteristics, such as the GSIR; however, if there is discordance between the risk estimates, caution should be exercised and more reliance on the more static historically based instrument may be indicated.† (MILLS KRONER, P. 155) Meaning that prior records cannot change, they are a static dynamic and will be looked with more emphasis than the risk assessment when determining to release the offender. When offenders are released into society there is a prediction made about reoffending. Predictions in the negative will be thought to not commit a crime in the future. If it is true then it is a true negative, yet if crime occurs making it a false prediction it is a false negative. If the prediction is that the offender will reoffendShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Personality And Recidivism1371 Words   |  6 PagesAn unavoidable facet of any population is that of a criminal element. Where there is law there will be criminals who break the law. These people are incarcerated for the safety of the public, the administration of justice and as punishment. After an inmate has served the requisite sentence for the crime which they committed their debt to society is considered paid. 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