The Level of Supervision Inventory (LSI) is a quantitative risk/need assessment instrument used to identify an offender's risk of committing criminal behavior and need for clinical services. The present study examined the LSI's utility among Canadian male federal offenders. The LSI was administered to 161 inmates during a structured interview and was verified through a review of case file information. The LSI possessed acceptable psychometric properties and demonstrated convergent validity with measures of relevant criminogenic constructs. Also, violent and nonviolent offenders differed on LSI total score and several LSI subtotals. Discussion focuses on treatment implications and areas for future research.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association . (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Andrews, D. A. (1982). The Level of Supervision Inventory (LSI): The first follow-up. Toronto: Ministry of Correctional Services of Ontario.
3.
Andrews, D. A. , Bonta, J., & Hoge, R. D. (1990). Classification for effective rehabilitation: Rediscovering psychology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 17, 19-52.
4.
Andrews, D. A. , Kiessling, J. J., Mickus, S. G., & Robinson, D. (1986). The construct validity of interview-based risk assessment in corrections. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 18, 460-470.
5.
Andrews, D. A. , & Robinson, D. (1984). The Level of Supervision Inventory: Second report. Toronto: Ministry of Correctional Service of Ontario.
6.
Andrews, D. A. , Robinson, D., & Balla, M. (1986). Risk principle of case classification and the prevention of residential placements: An outcome evaluation of the Share the Parenting Program. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 203-207.
7.
Bonta, J. , & Motiuk, L. L. (1985). Utilization of an interview-based classification instrument: A study of correctional halfway houses. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 12, 333-352.
8.
Bonta, J. , & Motiuk, L. L. (1987). The diversion of incarcerated offenders to correctional halfway houses. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 24, 302-323.
9.
Bonta, J. , & Motiuk, L. L. (1990). Classification to halfway houses: A quasi-experimental evaluation. Criminology, 28, 497-506.
10.
Bonta, J. , & Motiuk, L. L. (1992). Inmate classification. Journal of Criminal Justice, 20, 343-353.
11.
Cleckley, H. (1976). The mask of sanity (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
12.
Gynther, M. D. , & Gynther, R. A. (1983). Personality inventories. In I. B. Winer (Ed.), Clinical methods in psychology (2nd ed., pp. 152-232). New York: Wiley.
13.
Hann, R. B. , & Harman, W. G. (1988). Release risk prediction: A test of the Nuffield scoring System. Ottawa: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
14.
Hare, R. D. (1985). Comparison of the procedures for the assessment of psychopathy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 7-16.
15.
Hare, R. D. (1991). The Psychopathy Checklist. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.
16.
Harpur, T. J. , Hakstian, A. R., & Hare, R. D. (1988). Factor Structure of the Psychopathy Checklist. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 741-747.
17.
Loza, W. (1993). Different substance abusing offenders require a unique program. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 37, 351-358.
18.
Millon, T. (1982). The MCMI manual (3rd ed.). Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems.
19.
Motiuk, L. L. (1993). Using the LSI and other classification systems to better predict halfway-house outcome. IARCA Journal on Community Corrections, 4, 8-9.
20.
Motiuk, L. L. , Bonta, J., & Andrews, D. A. (1986). Classification in correctional halfway houses: The relative and incremental predictive criterion validities of the Megargee-MMPI and LSI systems. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 13, 33-46.
21.
Motiuk, L. L. , & Porporino, F. J. (1988). Offender risk/need assessments: A study of conditional releases. Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada.
22.
Motiuk, M. S. , Motiuk, L. L., & Bonta, J. (1992). A comparison between self-report and interview based inventories in offender classification. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 19, 143-159.
23.
Nuffield, J. (1982). Parole decision making in Canada. Ottawa: Solicitor General of Canada.
24.
Rice, M. E. , & Harris, G. T. (in press). Treatment for prisoners with mental disorder. In J. H. Steadman & J. Cocozza (Eds.), Mental illness in America's prisons. Seattle, WA: National Coalition for the Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System.
25.
Simourd, D. J. (1993, June). Risk/need assessments of federally incarcerated males. Paper presented at the annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Montreal, Quebec.
26.
Stevenson, H. E. , & Wormith, J. S. (1987). Psychopathy and the Level of Supervision Inventory (User Report 1987-25). Ottawa: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
27.
Wong, S. (1985). Criminal and institutional behaviors of psychopaths. Ottawa: Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada.
28.
Wormith, J. S. , & Goldstone, C. S. (1984). The clinical and statistical prediction of recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 11, 3-34.
