Validity of the Level of Service Inventory—Revised (LSI-R) Among African American and Hispanic Male Offenders

Abstract

The Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) is a dynamic risk/needs assessment instrument that has been used extensively among a variety of offender samples. Validity research on the LSI-R, however, is based on samples consisting predominantly of Caucasian participants. The present study sought to examine the psychometric properties and validity of the instrument among a sample of African American and Hispanic male offenders. Participants were 446 male parolees residing in three halfway houses and one day reporting center. Three hundred and thirty-four offenders (75% of the sample) were of African American heritage and 112 (25%) were of Hispanic heritage. Analyses of the psychometric properties and validity of the LSI-R were conducted separately for each ethnic group. Results indicated the instrument had acceptable psychometric properties, but that the predictive validity results were lower than previous studies on the LSI-R. Results are discussed within the context of the invariance of risk variables and the applicability of the LSI-R to various offender groups.

Applying Risk/Need Assessment to Probation Practice and its Impact on the Recidivism of Young Offenders

“…This finding merits further investigation, particularly given the high incidence of Aboriginal offenders under the agency's authority. Other studies have produced mixed results, with some not finding a decrement in predictive validity among Aboriginal offenders for this (Gossner & Wormith, 2007;Rector et al, 2007) or other versions of the Level of Service Inventory (Bonta, LaPrairie, & Wallace-Capretta, 1997), whereas other studies have found a decrement in predictive validity among Native American offenders and other ethnic minorities on LSI-R (e.g., Holsinger et al, 2006;Schlager & Simourd, 2007).…”

In the eye of the beholder? An examination of the inter-rater reliability of the LSI-R and YLS/CMI in a correctional agency

“…Two of the most widely used risk assessment instruments in North American correctional agencies are the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) and the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI). While extensive psychometric research has been conducted on these two tools to demonstrate validity with much of the results suggesting the tools have adequate accuracy (see e.g., Schlager & Simourd, 2007;Schmidt, Hoge, & Gomes, 2005;Smith, Cullen, & Latessa, 2009), there is a relative dearth in the literature regarding reliability.…”

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Predictive Validity of the Level of Service Inventory–Revised Among Prison Inmates

“…Other researchers suggest that the LSI-R may not accurately classify non-White offenders (Holsinger et al, 2003(Holsinger et al, , 2006Whiteacre, 2006), but these findings are far from conclusive. Moreover, most researchers who have investigated the predictive validity of the LSI-R across offender racial and ethnic groups relied on samples drawn from community settings but not prison settings (e.g., Fass et al, 2008;Schlager & Simourd, 2007;Whiteacre, 2006). …”