New article alert: Can the YLS/CMI predict recidivism for youth adjudicated of domestic assault and battery?

Dr. Cavanagh's latest article, Can the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory predict recidivism for youth adjudicated of domestic assault and battery? is out now in the Journal of Criminal Justice.

The YLS/CMI is a popular and extensively studied juvenile risk assessment tool. Although many studies support its ability to predict recidivism, a growing body of research suggests the YLS/CMI may be a poor indicator of criminogenic risk for girls and youth with family dysfunction, such as family violence. At the same time, shifts in US domestic violence policies may bring youth with family dysfunction into contact with the justice system.

We investigated whether the YLS/CMI could predict recidivism among a sample of youth in this situation: those who had been adjudicated for domestic assault and battery. We also tested whether the YLS/CMI did a better job predicting recidivism for boys vs. girls adjudicated for assault and battery.

Results revealed that the YLS/CMI was a poor predictor of recidivism for youth with both domestic and non-domestic assault and battery petitions, especially for girls. More validation of tools that effectively predict risk of recidivism for girls with family dysfunction is needed, especially as policy increasingly adjudicates girls in this situation.