ASI
The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is a semi-structured interview designed to measure the severity of both alcohol and drug abuse. The ASI is unique in that both the client and clinician rate the severity of each problem. Because of this clinician-rating component, it is critical that the ASI is administered by a qualified clinician. The ASI guides clinicians in developing appropriate treatment plans upon admission and serves as a measure of client change following treatment. The instrument has been validated with multiple populations and is available in 18 languages, including Spanish and French. A culturally sensitive version developed for the Native American population of North Dakota, the ASI-ND/NAV is also available. The test requires about 30-45 minutes to complete.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identifications Test (AUDIT) contains 10 questions about alcohol use, dependence, and problems associated with alcohol use. The AUDIT has been found to accurately identify those with an alcohol problem and those who do not have an alcohol problem. A study of the use of the AUDIT with prisoners found that scores differed greatly at the point of intake and after 15 days of incarceration. The study’s authors recommended administering the audit for the purposes of identifying the need for treatment or further assessment after the first few weeks of incarceration. Its validity and reliability have been demonstrated with women who are incarcerated. The test requires about 10 minutes to complete.

The Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-Opener (CAGE) is a screening tool used to detect alcohol dependency. The CAGE is a brief questionnaire, consisting of four questions, structured in a “have you ever” format that is applicable to the interviewee’s past or present. Answering Yes to two questions provides strong indication for substance abuse or dependency on alcohol. Answering Yes to three questions confirms the likelihood of substance abuse or dependency; however further assessment is often required. Corrections staff may use this instrument to flag individuals with substance abuse or alcohol issues for further assessment or appropriate treatment services. CAGE may be self-administered or conducted by trained corrections staff. The test�s validity has been demonstrated with substance abusing populations and it is commonly used in criminal justice settings. The test may not identify harmful drinking by pregnant women, who may underreport their alcohol use. The TWEAK assessment was developed as a modified version of the CAGE for this purpose. The CAGE takes less than one minute to complete.

The Correctional Assessment and Intervention System™ (or CAIS, used for adults) and the Juvenile Assessment and Intervention System™ (JAIS) were designed to provide criminal justice personnel with integrated assessment tools which identify evidence-based supervision strategies that emphasize public safety, rehabilitation, accountability, and criminogenic needs. CAIS™ and JAIS™ employ a single semi-structured interview to derive assessments of risk, strengths, and needs. The results of the interview are scored by an automated response system which produces an individualized case plan including risk, needs, and supervision strategy classifications, as well as recommendations for evidence-based programs and services. CAIS and JAIS include periodic reassessment components to automatically update individual case plans on a continuous basis. A reporting package provides real-time aggregate data reports for client monitoring, agency management and budgeting, and outcome measurement. The web-based system requires no agency investment in hardware or software, MIS redesign, or maintenance. Validity and reliability have been successfully demonstrated through multiple studies. CAIS and JAIS incorporate gender-responsive assessments and interventions to address the unique risk and needs areas of girls and women. Comprehensive training and technical assistance packages are offered.

The Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) system is a statistically based risk and needs assessment specifically designed to assess key risk and needs factors in adult and youth correctional populations and to provide decision-support for justice professionals who must make decisions regarding the placement, supervision, and case-management of individuals in community supervision and correctional institution settings. It achieves this by providing valid measurement and succinct organization of research supported risk/need dimensions. COMPAS scores each individual based on three different types of risk (violence, recidivism, and failure to appear in court) and 19 different criminogenic needs. The software also includes case planning, outcomes measurement, and reports generation modules. The internal Research Division (staffed by five PhDs) and IT Division provide the research and technical support to norm the assessment for the local population and configure the software to local policy and procedure. The time required to administer each battery of tests varies, and can be adapted to the needs of the jurisdiction. A peer reviewed validation study of the COMPAS has been accepted by Criminal Justice and Behavior for publication in the June 2009 edition. An additional independent validation of the COMPAS in a California study by Zhang and Farabee (2007) indicated predictive accuracies comparable to other major instruments.

The Rikers Island Discharge Enhancement (RIDE) is a discharge planning program that uses a one page questionnaire (Form 983) at the time of intake to ascertain an individual’s housing and social service needs in preparation for release from jail. The housing section includes questions about past housing situations, homelessness, and the need for housing assistance upon release. Other sections assess the need for employment, healthcare, identification, transportation, substance abuse treatment, etc. The questionnaire includes a section that jail staff can use to make service referrals.

The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) is a series of instruments that includes a screening, a standardized biopsychosocial intake assessment, and a follow-up assessment. The instruments are designed to measure the recency, breadth, and frequency of problems and service utilization related to substance use, physical health, risk/protective involvement, mental health, environment, and vocational situation. Corrections staff can use results to identify co-occurring disorders and predict treatment outcomes. Instruments and manuals for training staff to administer and interpret them can be accessed online. GAIN instruments have been validated for use with criminal-justice involved adolescents who are receiving substance abuse treatment for marijuana use, and for use with adults under criminal justice supervision. Adolescent and adult versions are available in English and Spanish. The time that each instrument takes to administer varies, ranging from 3 minutes for screenings, to 60 minutes for assessments.

The Level of Care Utilization System (LOCUS) for Psychiatric and Addiction Services is a dynamic tool that assesses immediate care needs and monitors changes in level of care recommendations. The tool includes six evaluation parameters: risk of harm; functional status; medical, addictive, and psychiatric co-morbidity; recovery environment; treatment and recovery history; and engagement. LOCUS provides a structured process for assessing immediate service needs, organizing clinical and bio-psychosocial information, determining in a standardized manner the level of care needed during incarceration, and monitoring progress over time. The tool includes a level of care determination grid and decision-making tree. The tool’s developers report encouraging preliminary reliability and validity data. LOCUS requires a trained clinician to administer.

The Level of Services Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) is a 54 item rating scale that measures static factors related to an individual’s risk of committing a new crime and identifies dynamic areas of risk and need that may be addressed through programming. Areas evaluated by the LSI-R include criminal history, leisure / recreation, education / employment, associates, finances, substance abuse, family / marital status, emotional / personal well-being, housing, and attitude. The LSI-R may be administered at intake to aid in security classification and programming decisions. The instrument is also commonly used to determine and modify levels of community supervision. Research on the validity of the LSI-R indicates that certain items and sub-scales are more closely correlated with recidivism than others, in part because inter-rater reliability can be difficult to achieve on many of its items. Among the sub-scales, one study found that the general risk/need score correlated highly with general recidivism. It also predicted recidivism among subgroups of people convicted of sexual offenses, domestic violence, and people with mental health problems. The specific risk/need scale produced a slightly higher correlation with violent recidivism. The LSI-R requires 30-45 minutes to complete.

The Level of Services Inventory-Revised: Screening Version (LSI-R: SV) consists of eight of the 54 items contained in the full Level of Services Inventory-Revised (LSI-R). The eight items cover four risk factors: criminal history, criminal attitudes, criminal associates, and antisocial personality patterns. It also samples the domains of employment, family relationships, and substance abuse. The LSI-R: SV was designed to provide a brief and inexpensive means to establish whether the full LSI-R should be administered, and is not intended as a stand-alone assessment instrument. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.

The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) can be used to identify alcohol problems that warrant further assessment. The test contains 24 items, and is designed to provide a rapid and effective screening for lifetime alcohol-related problems and alcoholism. Research has established its reliability and validity in a number of settings. The MAST has been widely used with prisoners, but has not been normed to specific subgroups. The test takes about 8 minutes to complete, and it can be self-administered or administered by an interviewer.

The Offender Profile Index (OPI) was developed in 1987 by the National Association for State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) in concert with the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The instrument measures 10 core areas: drug severity, family support, social support, educational history, employment history, housing, criminal justice involvement, psychiatric profile, previous treatment, and engagement in behaviors that put the individual at risk for contracting HIV. The OPI is a classification instrument used to sort individuals into an appropriate treatment intervention, not a comprehensive needs assessment tool. The assessment is self-scoring; may be administered by any trained professional; and can be completed in 30 minutes.

The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) is an assessment instrument designed to assess readiness for change in people with drug or alcohol problems. The instrument is a 19-item scale that yields three scale scores: Recognition, Ambivalence, and Taking Steps. Its validity and reliability have been established in non-corrections settings (with veterans and military service personnel). Information about its validity with prisoners is not readily available; however it is used in prisons in the United States. The tool can be administered by corrections staff and is also available in Spanish.

The Texas Christian University Drug Screen II (TCU-DSII) is a screening tool that enables corrections staff to quickly identify individuals who report heavy drug use or dependency and therefore might be eligible for treatment. Questions are based on the DSM-IV and the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. It is well validated, and commonly used in corrections settings, and to determine eligibility for alternatives to incarceration (e.g., court). (TCU has also developed a number of other substance abuse, HIV risk behavior, and program planning assessments for clients and for staff; however the TCU-DSII is most commonly used). The screening takes 5-10 minutes to complete. English and Spanish versions are available.