The Disconnect Between Assessment and Intervention In the Risk Management of Criminal Offenders

Although research suggests that risk/needs assessment and intervention models may be effective in reducing recidivism, there is emerging evidence that risk management interventions commonly used with various groups of offenders are not based on a proper assessment of offenders’ criminogenic needs. In this paper, we examine the apparent disconnect between assessment and treatment among various groups of offenders, including sex, juvenile, mentally ill, drug-involved, and female. As will be discussed, research in these areas suggests that interventions commonly used with these specific groups of offenders may not be targeting appropriate criminogenic needs, which may be attenuating the effectiveness of the provided interventions.