Although Risk and Need Assessment Is Ideally Objective, Human Bias

question 68

Essay

Although risk and need assessment is ideally objective, human bias often comes into play. You are a judge who went to West Point and has respect for veterans. When a case comes before you of a drug-addicted offender with PTSD, your sympathies are with the defendant, although he could be a risk to society. What can be done to assure that your risk and need assessment are fair and just?

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Definitions:

Agreement

A mutual understanding or arrangement, often formalized, between two or more parties.

Triangulation

A method used in research to increase credibility by combining multiple perspectives, data sources, or methodologies to study a single phenomenon.

Research Methods

Various strategies, techniques, and procedures used to investigate specific questions and test hypotheses in scientific studies.

Hypothesis Testing

A method in scientific research where an hypothesis is proposed and then tested through experimentation or observation to determine its validity.