Goal 1: To improve the identification of risk/needs of DWI offenders by documenting and promoting the use of validated criminogenic screening and assessment tools of various state jurisdictions
To identify DWI offenders that need intervention beyond criminal sanctions, the criminal justice system needs to screen and assess offenders. Screenings and assessments provide a systematic way of making bond release, sentencing, supervision, and treatment decisions.
Screening DWI Drivers
Screening tools provide preliminary data on a DWI offender’s immediate needs and their level of risk to the community. It can point to the need for further assessment, especially if a person presents issues with substance abuse, trauma, and mental health. It can also indicate immediate needs for case management or community monitoring. Screening tools usually can be administered by almost any professional or be self-administered.
SAMSHA recommends screening as early as the initial contact with law enforcement. Some jurisdictions have Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) with specialized training to handle mental health screenings. If a jurisdiction does not count with CIT units, the initial detention phase can pose as an opportunity for a screening to take place. This can be during the jail booking process or by pretrial services staff, or even during the disposition process (SAMHSA, 2019).
Assessing DWI Drivers
Assessment tools provide detailed data about an offender’s risk, needs, and responsivity levels. The information gathered includes in-depth information on which types of services and what level of care a person needs. Assessments point not only to a person’s immediate needs for services but also advises long-term treatment intervention plans.
Assessment tools need to measure the extent of an offender’s Central Eight Risk/Need Factors to identify criminogenic factors that need to be addressed. Clinicians or trained professionals usually administer assessments. It is important to note that assessments measure the risk level changes of an offender. Therefore, it is good practice to repeat these assessments during their involvement with the criminal justice system to continually measure the offender’s fluctuation of risk as well as gauge intervention effectiveness (TIRF, 2014).
The most common screening/ assessment tools validated for the impaired driving population are the Impaired Driver Assessment (IDA), the Risk and Needs Triage (DUI-RANT), and the Computerized Assessment and Referral System (CARS).
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