Sustained Dialogue and Civic Life: Post-College Impacts

This study examined the civic outcomes of the Sustained Dialogue model. Qualitative interviews investigated the perceived impacts of dialogue experience on post-graduate civic life, generating an inventory of 29 dialogue civic outcomes across five domains: 1) cognitions, 2) behaviors, 3) attitudes 4) skills, and 5) hopes and plans for the future. Results extend past research by finding that perceived dialogue impacts lasted into the post-college years and affected future hopes and plans. Additional impacts were identified: (1) across various civic arenas of society, and (2) a transformative restringing effect, in which participants reported they were changed or transformed in subtle, complex, and pervasive ways

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Are risk assessments racially biased?: Field study of the SAVRY and YLS/CMI in probation

Risk assessment instruments are widely used by juvenile probation officers (JPOs) to make case management decisions; however, few studies have investigated whether these instruments maintain their predictive validity when completed by JPOs in the field. Moreover, the validity of these instruments for use with minority groups has been called into question. This field study examined the predictive validity of both the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY; n = 383) and the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI; n = 359) for reoffending when completed by JPOs. The study also compared Black and White youth to examine the presence of test bias. The SAVRY and YLS/CMI significantly predicted reoffending at the test level, with most of the variance in reoffending accounted for by dynamic risk scales not static scales. The instruments did not differentially predict reoffending as a function of race but Black youth scored higher than White youth on the YLS/CMI scale related to official juvenile history. The implications for use of risk assessments in the field are discussed

Probation officers\u27 perceptions of youths\u27 risk of reoffending and use of risk assessment in case management

Juvenile probation officers (JPOs) are required to make numerous decisions about the case management of young offenders on a daily basis. This multi-site study examined JPOs\u27 (N = 64) perceptions of the typical youth\u27s risk of reoffending before implementation of a risk/needs assessment (RNA) tool, and their self-reported, case management decision-making after implementation of an RNA tool. Results indicated that JPOs tended to overestimate the likely base rates of reoffending while RNA tool estimates were more accurate. Further, most JPOs appeared to be making service referral and placement decisions commensurate with youths\u27 risk levels, regardless of whether they claimed to use the RNA tool in their decisions. Variability in application of risk to case management practices was more a function of the probation office than of the specific JPO. Implications for use of risk assessment in juvenile probation are discussed. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd

Risk assessment matters, but only when implemented well: A multisite study in juvenile probation

There is a strong movement toward juvenile justice agencies\u27 use of risk assessment and risk-need-responsivity approaches to improve case management decisions for young offenders. However, little is known about whether adoption of risk assessment actually effectuates any changes in the way young offenders are handled. This was a multisite study of the impact on case processing of implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) or Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory in 6 juvenile probation offices using a prepost design and 1,694 propensity score-matched young offenders. Consistent with the risk principle, there were significant changes to at least some areas of case processing in all but 1 site, most notably with respect to decreases in the amount of supervision youth received and in rates of out-of-home placement. The nature and extent of the impact varied as a function of sites\u27 characteristics and implementation quality, not as a function of the risk assessment used. No increases in recidivism were observed in any site, and there was a significant reduction in recidivism in 1 site. The key benefits of implementation of valid risk assessment and case management procedures were improved resource allocation and fewer instances of inappropriate interference in youths\u27 lives without an apparent increased risk to public safety

Impact of risk/needs assessment on juvenile probation officers\u27 decision making: Importance of implementation

The adoption of risk assessment tools has increased in popularity in the juvenile justice system due, in part, to recommendations by the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). However, very little is known about whether adoption of these tools actually effectuates change in the way young offenders are handled. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from 111 juvenile probation officers (JPOs) from six probation offices before and twice after standardized, rigorous implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk for Youth (SAVRY) or the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI). The purpose of this study was to examine JPOs\u27 changes in attitudes and case management decisions following implementation of a risk/needs assessment (RNA) tool. There was a significant reduction in JPOs\u27 perceptions of the proportion of young offenders who would reoffend. There were many shifts in JPOs\u27 decision-making to be more consistent with Risk-Need-Responsivity practices, such as (a) making service referrals based on the fit between youths\u27 criminogenic needs and services, and (b) assigning levels of supervision based on youths\u27 level of risk. There was a shift in attention to more evidence-based dynamic risk factors. These changes occurred regardless of which RNA tool was used. Juvenile justice agencies are encouraged to adopt an evidence-based RNA tool using a sound implementation model in order to meet the objectives of the JJDPA and RNR practices. Benefits and barriers to adoption of RNA tools by juvenile probation departments are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved

sj-docx-3-cjb-10.1177_00938548241229193 – Supplemental material for Sustainability of Evidence-Based Practices: Risk-Need-Responsivity in Probation 7 Years Later

Supplemental material, sj-docx-3-cjb-10.1177_00938548241229193 for Sustainability of Evidence-Based Practices: Risk-Need-Responsivity in Probation 7 Years Later by Gina M. Vincent, Dara C. Drawbridge, Spencer G. Lawson, Kristina Todorovic and Rachael T. Perrault in Criminal Justice and Behavior</p

sj-docx-4-cjb-10.1177_00938548241229193 – Supplemental material for Sustainability of Evidence-Based Practices: Risk-Need-Responsivity in Probation 7 Years Later

Supplemental material, sj-docx-4-cjb-10.1177_00938548241229193 for Sustainability of Evidence-Based Practices: Risk-Need-Responsivity in Probation 7 Years Later by Gina M. Vincent, Dara C. Drawbridge, Spencer G. Lawson, Kristina Todorovic and Rachael T. Perrault in Criminal Justice and Behavior</p

sj-docx-2-cjb-10.1177_00938548241229193 – Supplemental material for Sustainability of Evidence-Based Practices: Risk-Need-Responsivity in Probation 7 Years Later

Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-cjb-10.1177_00938548241229193 for Sustainability of Evidence-Based Practices: Risk-Need-Responsivity in Probation 7 Years Later by Gina M. Vincent, Dara C. Drawbridge, Spencer G. Lawson, Kristina Todorovic and Rachael T. Perrault in Criminal Justice and Behavior</p