| Popis: |
Officials in the correctional system are constantly faced with the decision of what type of treatment to offer offenders to prevent recidivism and facilitate reintegration into the community after their release from incarceration. To assist in this decision-making, the state of Ohio has revised and standardized a statewide instrument known as the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS). Some officials in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) have questioned whether the effect of the age of an offender has been given its full weight in ORAS. Using secondary data received from ODRC, this study examined the prediction of recidivism by age and the risk score. First, the relationship of the original risk score to recidivism was estimated. Then, the age variable was removed from the calculation of the risk score, and the relationship of the risk score without age was re-estimated. Finally, the age variable was entered into the equation along with the risk score without age. The results suggest that age is underweighted in the original ORAS score, and the relationship of age on recidivism may be quadratic. The quadratic form of age slightly improved prediction in some of the risk measures. |
