Dr. James McCafferty publishes an article in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

KENNESAW, Ga. (Feb 3, 2016) — Dr. McCafferty authored an article "Professional Discretion and the Predictive Validity of a Juvenile Risk Assessment Instrument: Exploring the Overlooked Principle of Effective Correctional Classification" for Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice (ranking 11 of 55 in Criminology and Penology; Impact Factor 1.585). The study used a probability sample of over 2,800 delinquent youth in Ohio assessed with the Ohio Youth Assessment System - Disposition Instrument (OYAS-DIS). The purpose of the study was to examine how the professional discretion of probation officers impacts the ability of an actuarial risk assessment tool designed to predict recidivism. The results indicated that the inclusion of professional discretion slightly decreased the predictive validity of the instrument. This article can be found at: http://yvj.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/12/23/1541204015622255.abstract