This document reviews the findings from a National Institute of Corrections publication on incorporating science into practice, the information presented here is intended to summarize and inform readers of research and information relevant to probation work. It can provide a framework for carrying out the business of probation as well as suggestions for practical application of the material.

This article begins by describing the sentencing options that are available in most states for drug-involved offenders, and the benefits and burdens associated with each. A model of evidence-based sentencing is presented that attempts to match drug offenders to dispositions that optimally balance impacts on cost, public safety, and the welfare of the offender. Implementing this model in practice requires an assessment of each offender’s risk of dangerousness, prognosis for success in standard treatment, and clinical needs. A typology is presented of four sub-groups of drug offenders characterized by distinct risk-and-need profiles. Specific recommendations are offered for the clinical and supervisory interventions that should be included in sentencing orders for each offender subtype.

This reference brief covers the considerations needed for implementing an assessment tool, the challenges presented by a risk/need assessment, available tools, and risk/need basics.

This section from the NIC online transition from jail to community toolkit provides the research behind the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model and why this model is an important concept to understand when carrying out the 10 tasks outlined in the Targeted Intervention Strategies section of the TJC Implementation Roadmap.