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Ricerche di Psicologia/Psychological Research Journal - Open Access

Articoli

No. 4 (2023)

Risk of recidivism among offenders: Preliminary analysis of the psychometric properties of the Italian Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/rip2023oa18304
Submitted
agosto 5, 2024
Published
2024-08-08

Abstract

In the realm of national justice systems, the psychosocial evaluation of recidivism risk among offenders primarily relies on unstructured clinical judgement, often leading to errors and inefficiencies in resource allocation for their recovery and reintegration. The international scientific communityʼs emphasis on “risk assessment” procedures based on empirical methodologies and instruments has prompted organisations to seek new and more effective tools. This study explores the applicability of the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) among Italian offenders. The Italian version of the LS/CMI’s Section 1 was administered to 74 Italian adults to conduct a preliminary evaluation of its psychometric properties. Results revealed significant differences compared to the North American normative sample, highlighting cultural variations among the “Central Eight” factors influencing risk assessment. Despite some inconsistencies across the eight subcomponents of the tool, the LS/CMI demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity with the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R). Binary logistic regression showed that higher total LS/CMI scores were linked to a greater chance of recidivism, suggesting its predictive usefulness. These findings represent a first step towards validating the Italian LS/CMI, underscoring the importance of further longitudinal research to enhance the toolʼs reliability and contribute to efforts aimed at reducing recidivism in the Italian penal system.

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