Looking Back and Moving Forward: Updating and Upgrading a Translational Suite

• In Event: Where are we going, and where have we been? Program Quality and Matching Services

Abstract

The Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Simulation Tool is an online suite of translational tools designed to help practitioners, administrators, and treatment providers who work with criminal justice clients. These decisional-support tools helps users translate evidence-based practice by taking a personalized medicine approach to matching criminal justice clients with the appropriate services to improve their chances of escaping from the justice system’s revolving door. The RNR Simulation Tool consists of three portals: the RNR Program Tool for Adults, the Assess an Individual tool, and the Assess Jurisdiction’s Capacity. The Program Tool for Adults allows program administrators to assess how well their program is adhering to evidence-based practices in relation to their primary target behavior and identify areas for quality improvement. The Assess an Individual tool assists users to identify the client’s criminogenic needs and (de)stabilizers by prioritizing and matching those needs to available programming. The Assess Jurisdiction’s Capacity portal provides the jurisdiction with an estimate of how well the availability of services/programs meets the actual client’s needs. This presentation will introduce the science behind the RNR Simulation Tool, as well as review recent upgrades to the tool to help aid programs to better assess their quality using the Program Tool for Adults.

Authors

• Jennifer Lerch, George Mason University

• Faye Taxman, George Mason University