title: Validity of the youth assessment and screening instrument: A juvenile justice tool incorporating risks, needs, and strengths.
abstract: The primary purpose of this study is to introduce the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI; Orbis Partners, 2000), which is a comprehensive assessment protocol gauging a range of risks, needs, and strengths associated with criminal conduct in juvenile populations. Applied to a sample of 464 juvenile offenders bound by community supervision in Alberta, Canada, the Pre-Screen version of the instrument achieved a high level of accuracy in predicting both general and violent offenses over an 18-month follow-up period (Area Under the Curve [AUC] = .79). No significant differences in overall predictive validity were found across demographic groups, save for the relatively lower level of accuracy achieved in predicting general reoffending across the subsample of girls (AUC = .68). With regard to strengths, a buffering effect was identified whereby high-risk cases with higher levels of strength had superior outcomes compared to their lower strength counterparts. Results suggest that it is advisable to consider the quantitative inclusion of strength-based items in the assessment of juvenile risk.
authors.affiliation: Orbis Partners.
authors.forename: Natalie J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carleton University.
authors.forename: Shelley L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Orbis Partners.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Alberta Justice and Solicitor General.
authors.forename: Deanna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Frey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012008:Recurrence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult