Risk Assessment Paper - Essay Example

The risk assessment plays an important role both in helping the judge in a case of juvenile crime determine the level and type of punishment or correctional service necessary. This paper assesses the cases of a fifteen year old girl Coleen M. and a 17 year old boy Xander L. It analyses the effectiveness and shortcomings of the two methods in the analysis of the two cases. On the Missouri assessment scale, the high score is 15. This portrays the candidate with the highest risk level (Missouri Juvenile Risk Assessment Scale).

On the Washington risk assessment scales the highest mark is 31 which shows the highest level of involvement in delinquency. (Washington State Juvenile Pre-Screen Assessment Scale). So the lower the score of the candidate, the better in terms of behavior and self-control. Coleen is 15 year old girl who is charged with the involuntary manslaughter of her neighbor by pouring a liquid pesticide on her. In addition, she was prior to that involved in the death of the neighbor’s sister by driving a mobile home into the victim’s car, though this was ruled an accident.

She has been adjudicated as a delinquent and an assessment is necessary to determine her level of delinquency. On the Missouri scale Coleen’s assessment is as follows. Coleen has had no prior referrals. She scores 0 since her first referral is at age 15. She has not been formerly charged on any counts s misdemeanor or serious crime. So her score on that is 0. On placement, she has been placed out of her home permanently following the departure of father from homes and her mother’s joining of a drug rehabilitation center, so her score on that is 1.

It is unclear from the information given whether there has been any serious negative peer influence on her, but since it is mentioned that she was in the company of three homeless men in a poppy field, her score on peer influence is 1. Though she has run away from home on two occasions, there is no