Risk Metrics and the Five-Level System for the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory in Two Samples of Canadian Justice System Involved Youth

Comparing results across risk assessment tools is challenging due to varying methodologies. Implementing the Five-Level system in adult tools shows promise, but it has not been examined with youth assessments. Using a forensic and a community sample of justice-involved youth in Ontario, Canada, we calculated risk metrics–percentiles, risk ratios, and recidivism rates–separately, by gender, for the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI). Next, we implemented the Five-Level system and preliminarily examined its construct validity. YLS/CMI score distributions and recidivism rates varied across samples. While rates varied across risk categories, only one risk ratio was significant; Low risk community-probation young men were 68% less likely to reoffend than Moderate risk community-probation young men. There were significant pairwise differences in YLS/CMI scores across all risk levels generated using the Five-Level system, with some differences in psychopathy, aggression, and pride in delinquency scores across levels.