Facilitators of Practitioner Adherence to a Risk/Need Assessment Tool: Hypothesis Testing on a Survey of Juvenile Probation Officers

Abstract

<jats:p> We used a statewide survey to test hypotheses about the predictors of juvenile probation officers’ adherence to the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) risk/need assessment (RNA) tool, focusing on (1) the consistency and quality with which officers completed the tool, and (2) the extent to which they used it in decisions. While some hypotheses had been tested in prior quantitative studies, others were based on insights from case studies. Results showed that leadership and climate variables were consistently important in predicting adherence, though these tended to operate indirectly through their effects on other facilitators. Probation officer attitudes, either toward the YLS/CMI or to evidence-based practices, were also important across adherence measures. Although inconsistent in their effects across dependent variables, quality assurance of officer decision-making, external office relationships, and county YLS/CMI policies also predicted adherence. </jats:p>

Implementing Reforms in Community Corrections: Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…These different aims can produce role tension for agencies and officers (Petersilia, 2011). Officers’ orientation toward these divergent goals is shaped by agency characteristics, including resources and organizational culture (Miller & Maloney, 2020).…”