Brenda Vose

Gender and the Predictive Validity of the LSI-R A Study of Parolees and Probationers

The Level of Service Inventory—Revised (LSI-R) is a classification instrument used to identify the risks and needs of offenders. Originally validated for use with male offenders, some scholars have questioned the instrument’s suitability for use with female offenders. The current study attempts to contribute to the discussion on gender and the predictive validity of the LSI-R. A sample of 2,849 probationers and parolees were administered the LSI-R at two points in time. This design allows for the analysis of the instrument’s predictive validity at Time 1 and Time 2, and of the impact that changes in LSI-R scores may have on rates of recidivism. The results suggest that the LSI-R is a valid instrument for predicting recidivism with male and female offenders and thus should be viewed as a useful resource for practitioners engaged in correctional treatment.

Public Support for Early Intervention: Is Child Saving a “Habit of the Heart”?

Abstract Despite portrayals of Americans as exceptionally punitive and as favoring “get tough” solutions to offending, a wealth of survey research shows that the public also supports a social welfare, rehabilitative approach to crime control. Opinion polls reveal that citizens are particularly supportive of efforts to intervene with at-risk children and youths—so much so that belief in child saving can be considered an American “habit of the heart.” It is clear that public opinion is not a barrier to early intervention programs. In fact, such public support, combined with increasing evidence of the behavioral and cost effectiveness of treatment programs, might soon coalesce to create a “tipping point” in which early intervention becomes a viable policy agenda on the national level.

Predictive Validity and the Impact of Change in Total LSI-R Score on Recidivism

The Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R) is an assessment instrument designed to evaluate the risks and needs of offenders. The current study examines the predictive validity of the LSI-R with a sample of 2,849 probationers and parolees at two points in time. This design allows for the analysis of the instrument’s predictive validity at Time 1 and Time 2, and the correlation between changes in LSI-R scores and recidivism. The results suggest that the LSI-R is a valid assessment instrument for predicting recidivism and that change in LSI-R score is associated with change in risk of recidivism. The implications of these findings for effective correctional intervention are discussed.

Exit Interviews in Criminal Justice: A Research Note

ABSTRACT Although exit interviews are common in business and educational contexts, they are utilized less frequently in the criminal justice system. This is unfortunate, however, as exit interviews can alert program staff to issues or areas for improvement, further contextualize and enrich qualitative data collected during program evaluations, and serve as a quality control check on original fieldwork. This study relates findings from an exit interview questionnaire administered to inmates following participation in a Bureau of Justice Assistance-sponsored jail reentry program in Ohio. Results provided support for the risk-needs-responsivity model, offered feedback to program staff, and highlighted the importance of obtaining data from key stakeholders in correctional programming–program participants.

How to Be a Successful Graduate Student

Earning a PhD is an exciting but arduous process, marked by an attrition rate of about 50%. In this context, we provide advice—10 lessons—on how students can not only survive but also thrive in graduate school. A core message is that students must understand that doctoral education is a unique social world whose main function is to prepare trained academics. Toward this end, students should not expect to be taken care of but must be the architects of their own professional development. Thus, they need to develop research skills, learn how to teach, use unstructured time productively, and act in ways that will bolster their reputation and make faculty want to collaborate with them. Students’ most important challenge, however, is to become an independent scholar—to acquire the depth of expertise and genuine passion for the criminological enterprise necessary for subsequent professional accomplishment and fulfillment.