Are apples really different than oranges? Assessing college students’ risk level and criminogenic needs.

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

Of the research on evidence-based practices in the field of corrections, few approaches have received more attention from scholars than the Principles of Effective Intervention (PEI). While the literature on correctional risk assessment is equally significant, the comparison in use of the assessments on forensic (or justice-involved) versus nonforensic individuals is virtually nonexistent. Most likely the reason is that nonforensic populations are assumed to be of little to no risk since they are not actively involved in the criminal justice system. The purpose of this research study is to administer the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) to a convenience sample of college students to answer the following research questions: 1) Do the results of the ORAS assessment support the risk principle when administered to a sample of college students? and 2) Does the ORAS assessment possess predictive validity for the nonforensic population of college students as measured by future documented criminal behavior? For this presentation, we will share our analyses and conclusions to answer the first research question. Implications for the risk principle and its extension to nonforensic populations will be also be presented.

Authors

• Jessica Warner, Miami University Regionals

• Chandlyr Gatch, Miami University Regionals