Principles of risk assessment for researchers and practitioners

Risk assessment instruments (RAIs) are generally thought to be more accurate and less susceptible to bias than the type of seat-of-the-pants risk assessment in which judges and parole boards have traditionally engaged. But RAIs bring with them their own set of controversies. This article will discuss three principles - the fit principle, the validity principle, and the fairness principle - that might govern use of RAIs. After providing examples of RAIs, it elaborates on how these principles would affect sentencing, parole and pretrial detention. In the course of doing so, this article also introduces the contributions in this Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences & the Law on "Risk factors and criminal justice."