Risk Assessment (Hansard, 28 June 1999)

§ Mr. Lidington
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress and conclusions of his Department's Study on assessing dangerous offender risk in practice. [88520]

§ Mr. Boateng
A project commenced in November 1998 to examine issues associated with the risk assessment and risk management process with dangerous and sex offenders. The research is assessing consistency of practice between the police and other agencies, as well as identifying good practice. The fieldwork is being undertaken in six police force areas in England and Wales and is due to be completed towards the end of 1999.
A review of the literature in the area of risk assessment and risk management has also been undertaken and is likely to be published by the end of 1999.

§ Mr. Lidington
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress and conclusions of his Department's comparative study of risk assessment scales in use by the Prison Service and Probation Service. [88519]

§ Mr. George Howarth
The Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office has received an interim report of a study conducted by the University of Wales and the Probation Studies Unit, Oxford, on behalf of the Home Office, entitled "Evaluating Risk and Need Assessment in Probation Services". The study examined how the risk scores obtained from the two risk assessment instruments commonly used by probation services compared with actual reconvictions over a 12 month period. The findings so far are provisional but indicate that both tools are able to produce risk measures
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which are significantly related to subsequent reconviction. We expect to receive the final report at the end of October and to publish it in December.

§ Mr. Lidington
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress and conclusions of his Department's survey of prison and probation officers' experience of risk assessment scales. [88518]

§ Mr. George Howarth
The Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office is working on a draft report entitled, "Risk of Re-offending and Needs Assessments: the user's perspective" which is expected to be published in December alongside other research on risk assessment. It will look at the practical experiences and attitudes of probation officers using risk and needs assessment tools and make recommendations about the structure and use of any new system.