Is Corrections "Collar" Blind?: Examining the Predictive Validity of a Risk/Needs Assessment Tool on White-Collar Offenders
Year: 2017
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Risk/needs assessment tools are essential to implementing supervision and interventions that reduce recidivism in correctional populations (Bonta, 2002).A substantial amount of research exists supporting the use of risk, need, and responsivity principles to reduce recidivism among correctional populations (Smith et al., 2009).However research thus far has not examined whether or how these principles or risk/needs assessment generalize to white-collar offenders (Gendreau et al., 1996).The primary goal of this dissertation is to validate a risk/needs assessment instrument, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC)'s Post Conviction Risk Assessment (PCRA), on a sample of white-collar offenders.To accomplish this goal, a sample of 31,306 white-collar offenders who started supervision under the AOUSC between October 2006 and October 2014 were used to examine the validity of the PCRA in predicting revocation.Results from binary logistic regression identified that PCRA risk levels create statistically significant groups that are associated with a white-collar offender's likelihood of being revoked while on supervision.Results from analyzing the predictive validity of the overall PCRA risk score with revocation supported the use of the PCRA as a strong predictor, showing that white-collar offenders are more likely to be revoked as their scores on the PCRA increase.Additionally, binary logistic regression identified both similarities and differences in significant items from the PCRA for white-collar offenders compared to other types of offenders, suggesting that there may be some unique aspects of risk for white-collar offenders.However, when white-collar offender specific scoring was generated for the PCRA, there were no significant improvements in prediction of revocation within the sample.The results of this study demonstrate that white-collar offenders share similar criminogenic needs to "street" offenders, but sometimes they manifest differently.The study concludes by discussing the overall
Author: Erin Harbinson
Institution: University of Cincinnati
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2766920790