Question 1

Risk and need refer to an offender's criminogenic needs and the potential they have for prompting her or him to reoffend.

Accepted Answer

Risk and need assessment evaluates both the likelihood of reoffending (risk) and the specific factors that can be addressed to reduce this likelihood (needs).

Question 2

Risk/needs factors can be classified as either "static"

Accepted Answer

Static risk/needs factors are those that do not change over time, such as past criminal history or age at first offense.

Question 3

Static risk factors change.

Accepted Answer

Static risk factors are characteristics that do not change over time, such as historical events or inherent traits.

Question 4

Generally speaking, severity of the current crime is a static risk factor.

Accepted Answer

Severity of the current crime is a static risk factor because it is a characteristic of the offender that is unlikely to change over time.

Question 5

Dynamic risk/need factors are items associated with future behavior and can change over time.

Accepted Answer

Dynamic risk/need factors are characteristics or conditions that can fluctuate and are linked to the likelihood of future behavior, making them targets for intervention to reduce risk.

Question 6

Employment is a dynamic risk factor.

Accepted Answer

Employment status can change over time and can influence or be influenced by other factors, making it a dynamic risk factor.

Question 7

Identifying an offender's criminogenic needs makes it possible to provide appropriate treatment, programs, and support to improve his or her chances for success and to reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

Accepted Answer

Identifying criminogenic needs helps tailor interventions that address the specific factors contributing to an individual's criminal behavior, thereby enhancing rehabilitation efforts and reducing recidivism.

Question 8

The first person to use a scientific approach to predict criminal traits was Cesare Beccaria.

Accepted Answer

Cesare Beccaria was a philosopher and criminologist known for his work on criminal justice reform, but it was Cesare Lombroso who is credited with using a scientific approach to predict criminal traits.

Question 9

Lombroso claimed that the bodies of criminals were physically different from those of normal people.

Accepted Answer

Lombroso, an Italian criminologist, proposed the theory of atavism, suggesting that criminals have physical features resembling primitive humans, distinguishing them from non-criminals.

Question 10

In making his discovery of the "born criminal"Lombroso first compared criminals with noncriminals.

Accepted Answer

Cesare Lombroso is credited with the theory of the "born criminal," suggesting that criminality is inherited and identifiable through physical characteristics.

Question 11

The first era in the development of risk and needs assessment was actuarial.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The first era in the development of...

Question 12

The second era in the development of risk and needs assessment was user-friendly.

Accepted Answer

The second era focused on the development of actuarial tools and statistical methods, which were not necessarily user-friendly.

Question 13

The third and fourth eras in the development of risk and needs assessment focused on dynamic risk factors but to a different degree and for a different purpose.

Accepted Answer

The third era emphasized identifying dynamic risk factors for treatment, while the fourth era focused on using these factors for ongoing risk management and adjustment of interventions.

Question 14

The fifth era in the development of risk and needs assessment is user-friendly.

Accepted Answer

The fifth era in the development of risk and needs assessment focuses on creating tools that are more accessible and easier for practitioners to use, emphasizing user-friendliness.

Question 15

In the actuarial era of development of risk and needs assessment, community corrections officers developed an intuitive sense, or a "gut"feeling, of what an offender's risks and needs were and what
the probability was that he/she might reoffend.

Accepted Answer

The actuarial era focused on using statistical methods and data-driven approaches rather than relying on intuition or "gut" feelings.

Question 16

The least accurate risk assessment method is professional/clinical assessment.

Accepted Answer

Professional/clinical assessment is often considered less accurate due to its subjective nature and reliance on individual judgment, which can lead to inconsistencies and biases compared to structured, evidence-based methods.

Question 17

The science of applying mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk ushered in the professional/ clinical assessment era.

Accepted Answer

The professional/clinical assessment era began with the use of expert judgment and clinical intuition, not mathematical and statistical methods. The latter is associated with the actuarial assessment era.

Question 18

The first person to use actuarial models in criminal justice on a large scale was University of Chicago sociologist Earnest W. Burgess.

Accepted Answer

Earnest W. Burgess developed the first actuarial model for parole prediction in the 1920s, which was used to assess the likelihood of parole success.

Question 19

The actuarial era of risk and needs assessment influenced the development of the Salient Factor Score.

Accepted Answer

The Salient Factor Score was developed during the actuarial era, which emphasized using statistical methods to assess risk and needs in criminal justice settings.

Question 20

The Salient Factor Score estimates an inmate's likelihood of recidivating following his or her release from prison.

Accepted Answer

The Salient Factor Score is a tool used to predict the likelihood of an inmate reoffending after being released from prison.

Quiz 4: Assessing Risk: The Importance of Classification