Citation

Sigler R, Williams JJ. J. Crim. Justice 1994; 22(6): 495-502.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0047-2352(94)90091-4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Risk-screening instruments have become quite popular in assisting probation officers in determining the level of supervision which their clients should receive while they serve their sentence in the community. This study compares the outcome of probation officers' classifications with predictions of likelihood of success derived from four risk-screening instruments. The results indicate that probation officers' predictions were better than two of the risk-screening instruments, were as accurate as another, and not as accurate as the fourth in determining the probability that the probationer would successfully complete the terms of probation. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of the cost issue involved in classifying offenders for probation supervision.