Tracking change through treatment with the Inventory of Offender Risk, Needs, and Strengths.

Dynamic risk variables (or criminogenic needs; Andrews & Bonta, 2003) increase risk for criminal behavior and are conceptualized as changeable through intervention. Yet this assumption of changeability has been examined in only a few studies, and none of these studies have examined whether the measurement properties the risk assessments measure remain invariant over time--a necessary precursor to determining if actual change is occurring or if changes in measurement are producing differences. This study examines the dynamic needs index (DNI) and protective strengths index (PSI) of the inventory of offender risk, needs, and strengths (Miller, 2006b) pre- and post-treatment.