News item | 27-09-2023 | 11:01
The updated risk assessment instrument Ritax is experienced by the employees of the Child Protection Council and the youth probation officers of the Certified Institutions (GIs) as more user-friendly. The Ritax 2.0 is also used more often than the previous version. However, these improvements cannot be entirely attributed to the innovation of the instrument. And it does not automatically lead to the use of more behavioral interventions among young people to prevent recurrence of criminal behavior. This is evident from research by the DSP group into the implementation of the updated Ritax.
A revised and improved version of the risk assessment instrument Ritax was put into use in 2022. The Ritax is part of the National Instrumentarium for the Juvenile Criminal Justice Chain (LIJ), which aims to guide young people in the juvenile criminal justice chain to appropriate interventions. The Ministry of Justice and Security expected that with the improvements the Ritax would be administered more often and that more young people would receive a behavioral intervention.
Smooth transition from still bulky instrument
The users of the Ritax 2.0 are generally satisfied with the new instrument and the transition went smoothly. Bottlenecks they still experience are mainly related to ICT and capacity problems. They also experience the modified instrument as more user-friendly. But this is more due to the adjustments in the application, such as easier navigation, than due to the substantive adjustments. Although the number of questions has been reduced, they still experience the more than 100 questions as a lot to ask in a conversation with the young person. It is striking that many questions are still answered with ‘unknown’. This mainly concerns static, i.e. irreversible, family factors. For example, about the educational and professional level and the judicial history of the parents. The researchers recommend examining whether the Ritax can be further shortened by only asking about the dynamic, and therefore changeable, risk factors. It must also be investigated whether it makes a difference to the risk profile of the young person why questions are answered with ‘unknown’. Is the information not known or do young people and parents not want to provide the information?
More frequent use does not automatically lead to more behavioral interventions
Nationally, the Ritax 2.0 is administered more often than the Ritax 1.0. However, the researchers do not attribute this entirely to innovation. The introduction of the Ritax 2.0 was used to draw more attention to and encourage its use. In addition, the seriousness of the offenses and the risk factors among young people can also influence a higher use of the risk assessment instrument. The researchers cannot make any statements about the expectation that more young people could receive a behavioral intervention with the Ritax 2.0. According to the researchers, using the Ritax more often does not automatically mean that more young people are eligible for a behavioral intervention. Previous research showed that the use of behavioral interventions is tailor-made, with professionals also taking into account the punishment advice, the motivation of the young person and existing assistance.
2023-09-27 09:04:13
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