Juvenile risk and needs assessments (JRNAs) have been the focus of extensive research in the academic literature. Prior studies have primarily focused on the risk-recidivism relationship and establishing predictive validity with juvenile populations. Less investigated is the use of risk and need assessment in practice, including how such tools are used to inform decision-making. This study uses record data encompassing 3,034 youth from a multi-state study to examine dispositional and treatment decisions associated with the Ohio Youth Assessment System (OYAS). Specifically, mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate how current practices align with underlying logic and theory regarding the role of assessments in juvenile justice. Findings reveal varied and complex relationships between assessment scores, case decisions, and recidivism. While risk was generally associated with recidivism, our results suggest juvenile risk and need assessments are inconsistently used to inform case management and placement decisions. Implications for practice and future research are also discussed.

青少年风险和需求评估 (JRNA) 一直是学术文献中广泛研究的焦点。先前的研究主要集中在风险-累犯关系和建立与青少年群体的预测有效性。较少研究的是在实践中使用风险和需求评估，包括如何使用这些工具为决策提供信息。本研究使用包含来自多州研究的 3,034 名青年的记录数据来检查与俄亥俄州青年评估系统 (OYAS) 相关的性格和治疗决策。具体而言，进行调解分析以评估当前实践如何与评估在少年司法中的作用的基本逻辑和理论保持一致。调查结果揭示了评估分数、案件决定和累犯之间的各种复杂关系。虽然风险通常与累犯有关，但我们的结果表明，青少年风险和需求评估不一致地用于为案件管理和安置决策提供信息。还讨论了对实践和未来研究的影响。