Age Group Differences in the Predictive Validity of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised

The Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) is a widely used risk assessment tool that has demonstrated predictive validity among incarcerated and community-based offender populations, as well as a number of subpopulations (e.g., non/violent offenders). Few studies have examined the predictive validity of the LSI-R across separate age groups of adult inmates, however. Researchers have uncovered developmental changes in attitudes, life goals, and self-interests that occur during adulthood, which suggests there may also be changes in the relevance of some risk factors for antisocial behavior. Using data collected from male inmates confined in prisons in a Midwestern state, we examined the predictive validity of the LSI-R and its 10 subcomponents for across developmentally defined age groups of adult offenders. We found that the LSI-R predicted the prevalence of misconduct similarly across age groups, but we also uncovered a number of differences in the magnitude of the effects of the LSI-R and its subcomponents on the incidence of misconduct across these groups. Implications for research and correctional administrators are discussed