Parole

Criminal justice systems around the world use risk assessment instruments (RAIs). They were developed to predict the statistical likelihood that justice-involved individuals might achieve a specific outcome, like recidivism, based on how similar they are to a sample population. Researchers use sample populations to draw conclusions. These conclusions are then used to create assessment instruments. The instruments are validated or tested for accuracy by using them with people from groups that are similar to the sample population. Once they are shown to deliver reliable and consistent results, RAIs can be used with people who have the same characteristics of the sample population they were validated on. The conclusions from RAIs can be applied to groups of people with the same characteristics, with predictions being strong but not perfect.

In 2014, Abt Associates began work on a grant from the National Institute of Justice to evaluate the effectiveness of home and field contacts in community supervision.