Accepted legal applications of actuarial testing and delinquency interventions: examples of savings in real-life...

Violent crime, especially by youth, is an increasing and costly problem. Zagar and colleagues have described five empirical studies in which youths' and adults' risks were identified and used to predict commission of homicide. The samples were more representative of the most violent modern urban delinquents than samples in previous research from smaller cities. From Zagar and colleagues' results, it is clear that the use of actuarial personality and probation-parole tests to identify at-risk individuals and target treatments to their needs would allow organizations to reduce loss of life and improve quality of life and economic and social well-being. The current article first provides a brief review of the situations in which the courts already accept the use of actuarial personality and probation-parole tests. Following that are several representations of the costs and benefits of broader application of testing and treatment in schools, universities, and workplaces. Finally, a specific proposal for generalized screening is proposed in a city of 3 million, with estimates of lives saved and costs reduced.