Washington, Aug 25, 2003 - CEC Presents Latest Research at International Conference
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND (August 25, 2003) —The risk of offenders’ problematic behavior in a residential community-based setting is accurately predicted by the Level of Service Inventory (LSI-Revised), according to data presented at the International Interdisciplinary Psychology and Law Conference.

Researchers from Community Education Centers (CEC), Drexel University and the Villanova School of Law collaborated on the retrospective study, which included a sample of 396 males placed in a CEC residential facility between 2000 and 2002. They compared LSI-R results to the number of sanctions to determine the ability of the LSI-R to predict behavior that resulted in sanctions.

“LSI-R total scores were significantly correlated with both the presence/absence of sanctions and the overall number of sanctions,” according to Ralph Fretz, PhD, Director of Assessment at CEC. However, most of the sub-components of the LSI-R, when considered individually, did not result in significant correlations with the presence or number of sanctions. “The findings suggest that the LSI-R is a more reliable predictor of problem behavior when the total score is considered,” added Dr. Fretz.

“This study validates the usefulness of the LSI-R in making decisions about risk and treatment in a community-based setting,” said Robert Mackey, Chief Operating Officer at CEC. “We are enthusiastic about participating in research efforts and look forward to collaborating with Drexel University and other research institutions in the future,” added. Dr. Mackey

The conference was held July 7th -July 12th in Edinburgh, Scotland.