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More states than ever before are using actuarial risk assessment to determine the likelihood that people involved with the criminal justice system will reoffend. This information is critically important for developing case management plans for people in prison and on supervision, as well as to inform parole release decision making and determine the intensity of supervision and programming for people upon release from prison. 

Research the scholarly literature on risk assessment instruments being used in the criminal justice system. Identify and explain the instruments, how they are used, and the data supporting their accuracy or inaccuracy. Discuss how the risk assessment instruments may have built-in biases towards certain groups of offenders.

1) According to Justice Center, the Council of State Governments, "Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers rely heavily on risk assessment tools as a way to direct resources and support recidivism reduction strategies." The guide. Risk Assessment Instruments Validated and Implemented in Correctional Settings in the United States: An Empirical Guide is a report made to give knowledge of risk assessment instruments for criminal justice and social service agencies. This guide gives 19 different tools or instruments that are used to help determine the possibility of re-offending. A trained risk assessment worker can administer several instruments to determine the best strategies to be used on the offender for the best outcome.

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2) When it comes to sentencing an offender, judges have to take into consideration the circumstances of the crime, the offenders past convictions if there are any, etc. Today, judges are starting to use assessment tools to assess the risk of a re-offender.

Before sentencing an offender, a judge will take into consideration a presentence report that was written by a parole officer or a probation officer, or an official. These reports will have a probability of whether the offender will re-offend, these reports can also be used when making bail decisions for the offender (Starr, 2016).

There is more than just one instrument in assessing the risk factor in offenders who could re-offend. There are assessment instruments for violent offenders, sex offenders, sexual violent risks, etc. Some instruments have proven to be effective while others may not be so effective and need to be rewritten. One such failure is the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk

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