Post-Conviction Risk Assessment
Criminal justice agencies use risk and needs assessments to support the success of people who are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole. However, there is a lack of consistent policy guiding how these assessments are used. Specifically, there are valid and growing concerns about accuracy, fairness, transparency, and communication in the use of risk and needs assessments.
Advancing Fairness and Transparency: National Guidelines for Post-Conviction Risk and Needs Assessment is a set of new guidelines that establishes practical benchmarks for agencies.
Why does the field need these guidelines?
- Risk and needs assessment results are underutilized in guiding case decisions and management.
- Criminal justice agencies lack sufficient guidance on how to effectively communicate the benefits and limitations of risk and needs assessments.
- Individuals undergoing assessment seldom receive information about the process, its workings, and the decisions it will influence.
How do these guidelines work?
- Offer agencies practical, field-tested guidance.
- Prioritize accuracy, fairness, and transparency in the communication and application of risk and needs assessments.
- Address and mitigate potential issues associated with the use of risk and needs assessment tools.
- Detail strategies for more effective stakeholder engagement.
- Ensure clarity for agency personnel.
Provider Information
The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center develops research-driven strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities. By breaking the cycle of incarceration; advancing health, opportunity, and equity; and using data to improve safety and justice, the CSG Justice Center fosters collaboration across multidisciplinary stakeholders and drives the criminal justice field forward.
