Testing the Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R) for Racial/Ethnic Bias

• Author: Kevin W. Whiteacre
• Published date: 01 September 2006
• Date: 01 September 2006
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0887403405284766
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/0887403405284766Criminal Justice Policy ReviewWhiteacre/ Level of Service Inventory–Revised

Testing the Level of Service

Inventory–Revised (LSI-R)

for Racial/Ethnic Bias

Kevin W. Whiteacre

Salvation Army Correctional Services Program, Chicago

In corrections, the use of objective offender risk classification instruments is increasing.

Some observers have raisedconcerns that these instruments might overclassify poor and

minority offenders, butthere is little research to support these claims. Using contingency

tables to compare risk categories and program performance, this study examines the

Level of Service Inventory–Revised for racial/ethnic differences in classification errors

at a large federal community corrections center in the United States. The study found a

tendency toward more classification errors for African Americans than Caucasians or

Hispanics, though the types and rates of errors were dependent on the choice of the cutoff

score and the performance measure to be predicted. These findings highlight the need for

correctional facilities to conduct local tests of their classification instruments. The study

provides an easy and practical model for such tests.

Keywords: offender classification; race; risk assessment

Literature

Correctional professionals are increasingly using empirically based offender as-

sessment or classification instruments as a component of their program operations. A

national study of probation and parole agencies found that 75% of the departments

surveyed used standardized and objectiveclassification instruments (Hubbard, Travis,

& Latessa, 2001). A more recent survey by the National Institute of Corrections

(2003) found that all but two of the 73 community corrections agencies surveyedcon-

ducted some type of offender assessment. Assessment instruments are used primarily

for predicting the risk of disciplinary infractions and recidivism, assessing offenders’

needs, and evaluatingthe impact of rehabilitative programming (Raynor, Kynch, Rob-

erts, & Merrington, 2000).

Use of these instruments has been spurred by concerns over program accountabil-

ity, arbitrary staff decision making, resource allocation, and the need to identify what

works in corrections. Earlier subjective classification systems relied heavily on the

330

Criminal Justice

Policy Review

Volume 17 Number 3

Month 2006 330-342

© 2006 Sage Publications

10.1177/0887403405284766

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Author’s Note: The author wouldlike to thank Jim Van Dyke and the Salvation Army Correctional Ser-

vices Program Research Committee for their assistance and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful

suggestions.