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Level of Service Inventory (LSI-R) Adult Assessment Training

The Level of Supervision / Service Inventory – Revised is an assessment and screening tool for adult offenders (16 and older). The LSI-R:
  • Consists of 54 questions completed from a semi-structured interview with the offender,
  • Identifies which of the following ten areas in the offenders’ backgrounds and current
    situations put them at greatest risk of reoffense:

    • Criminal History
    • Education / Employment
    • Financial
    • Family / Marital
    • Accommodation
    • Leisure / Recreation
    • Companions
    • Alcohol / Drug Problems
    • Emotional / Personal
    • Attitude / Orientation
  • Indicates which aspects of offenders’ current situations protect them from recidivism and should be reinforced,
  • Helps practitioners select the areas of offenders’ situations that, when treated, are most likely to lower their risk levels,
  • Allows agencies to establish cut-off points for levels of risk that determine whether and which kind of services offenders should receive.
The LSI was developed by Don Andrews, PhD. and James Bonta, PhD. and revised to its current state in 1997. It has been widely used in correctional systems in countries including the United States, Canada, and England, and has been validated on multiple populations, including those in Colorado, Ohio, and six sites in England.

Based on studies such as these, Andrews, Bonta, and Wormith removed non-predictive items from the LSI-R and added a step-by-step case planning structure to follow the assessment. This 2004 revision is called the Level of Service / Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI), which J-SAT also trains.

 Workshop Objectives & Structure
  1. Alternating Instruction and Practice

    During this three-day training, participants receive alternating modules of instruction and practice, ensuring that they can:
    • Administer, score, and interpret the LSI-R instrument,
    • Use a systematic quality assurance protocol for continuous improvement in use of the LSI-R ,
    • Demonstrate core active listening skills (open questions, reflections, affirmations, and summaries) that encourage youths to disclose interview material necessary for accurate risk/needs assessment,
    • Understand the Evidence-Based Principles that support actuarial risk/needs assessment—an integral part of effective case planning.

    Success in achieving the above objectives will be measured by:
    • Pre- and post-tests for measuring immediate retention,
    • Successive timed skill rehearsals,
    • Co-participant ratings of clinical skills,
    • Trainer observation of participants conducting interviews.

  2. Mid-Training Normative Feedback and Coaching

    J-SAT uses a copyrighted software application to give participants immediate objective feedback on their assessment completion and active listening skills performance. Graphed profiles show individual participant performance as compared with the class average, targeting specific areas of improvement. Workshop facilitators explain individual performance results to the participants and coach participants between sessions for improvement on later practice sessions.

  3. Post-Training Feedback and Coaching

    To assure inter-rater reliability among risk-assessment training participants, certified J-SAT staff critique audio-taped interviews submitted by course graduates. Graduates receive a comprehensive report providing feedback and coaching on active listening skills, scoring accuracy, and fidelity to all scoring and time-based rules.

In addition, specified contact persons in your agency will receive a post-training report including:
  • Graphs highlighting training group strength and growth areas in pre- and post-test knowledge gains and post-training skill implementation,
  • Written suggestions about on-going participant coaching, and
  • Lists of organizational development issues raised during training that will be key to ongoing implementation of the LSI-R and active listening skills.
 Who Should Attend?

  1. Front line community corrections service professionals responsible for conducting offender intake assessments and supervising offenders,

  2. In-house treatment program personnel,

  3. Supervisors, managers, and QA staff who will supervise front line staff’s application of LSI-R and active listening skills.
Alternatively, J-SAT can provide a one-day overview of the LSI-R for supervisors who are unable to attend the full three-day event or who are uncertain about the agency’s commitment to using the LSI-R. The one-day overview session is compressed into a balanced amount of didactic presentation and experiential how-to.

Options for Ensuring Skill Retention

Without reinforcement, new skills often decline. Ask Us about the following services that can help your staff retain and use what they have learned:
  • A one-day "booster session" at 6-months,
  • A second round of tape critiques, giving your staff written feedback,
  • Training of LSI-R Trainers—allows your staff to be able to provide "boosters" and follow-up trainings in-house. This option includes the course described above, but then adds on trainer trainings for participants who show trainer potential.
  • Assessment Interview Critiquer Training—allows your staff to conduct critiques on assessment interviews to ensure that line-staff are using the LSI-R and active listening skills in their daily tasks.
Setting Up a Training

Once you Contact Us to discuss the specifics of the training and set dates, our training coordinator will walk you through the entire process, making sure that you have all the information you need to provide for a smooth, effective training experience. The following information may be helpful as you decide how to proceed:

Training Location: Participant / Trainer Ratio:
  • Due to the number of skills rehearsals with individual feedback, J-SAT recommends one facilitator for every 20 participants.
Information We Will Need from You
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