Using a Multi-level Risk Assessment to Inform Case Planning and Risk Management: Implications for Officers

There is compelling evidence that the federal Post Conviction Risk Assessment (PCRA) has predictive accuracy such that clients with higher risk scores have poorer probation outcomes. Because the PCRA can predict client outcomes for both baseline and change scores, probation officers are better equipped to identify intervention strategies for individual clients. However, while the PCRA predicts client rearrests as well as informing case planning and risk management, this process is not completely intuitive for some officers. Therefore, the authors' purpose in this article is to make the process more explicit, especially regarding violent rearrest.