Implementing Risk and Needs Assessment - NIJ Juvenile Justice Research Spotlight

• NCJ Number: 254788
• Author(s): Christopher Sullivan
• Date Published: May 2020
• Length: 1 page
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Interview

Annotation

This 4-minute video presents an interview with Christopher Sullivan - Professor, University of Cincinnati School of Criminal Justice - who discusses his research on the implementation of procedures and practices in the juvenile justice system that facilitate the implementation of risk and needs assessment of juveniles processed in the justice system.

Abstract

In answering the question about his general research interests and focus, he indicates he is studying juvenile delinquency and the response to it from the perspective of age development, youths' interaction with the juvenile justice system, and how the justice system can respond better to age-related risks and needs. When asked about his primary goals for risk and needs assessments in juvenile justice research, he indicates that the goals of his research team are to analyze implementation procedures and practices that facilitate or impede the adoption of tools that identify risks and needs of each juvenile and how assessment findings then affect decisions and programming for each juvenile. When asked about key findings of his research, he indicates that although practitioners have a favorable view of tools that measure risks and needs of a juvenile, there are a number of strategies that could be used to improve the implementation and sustainability of their use in practice. He suggests ways in which policy and practice might reflect the findings of his research, as well as directions for future research.