Community supervision agencies – like probation and parole – the country supervise more than five million individuals in any given year. However, many agencies do not have the staff to supervise and support the number of individuals sentenced to community supervision. In response, agencies have increasingly relied on assessment tools to help them triage individuals into various levels. These various levels allow agencies to target personnel and resources to individuals with the greatest need.

The Delaware Department of Corrections uses the LSI-R, an assessment tool, to assign individuals to levels of supervision while on community supervision and uses the tool in custodial settings to inform program needs. However, as the state’s population both in custody and community settings changes, there is a need to revalidate the effectiveness of the tool to meaningfully and reliably triage individuals.

JSP is collaborating with the Delaware Department of Corrections to validate their assessment tool and providing ongoing technical assistance to support their staff using updated versions of the tool with fidelity. This work enhances the use of evidence-based practices while also ensuring individuals supervised in Delaware are provided the supports and services they need to not only successfully complete probation but thrive beyond their community supervision sentence.