Women Offender Assessment: Can Gender-Informed Variables Improve Prediction of Institutional Outcomes?

The Custody Rating Scale (CRS) is utilized by Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) in classification of women offenders; it is gender-neutral. The purpose of the study was to examine if gender-informed domains predict misconducts in women offenders. Gender-informed items that were predictive were used to create the Gender-Informed Version 1 Continuous, Gender-Informed Version 2 Continuous, Gender-Informed Version 1 Trichotomized and Gender-Informed Version 2 Trichotomized scales. The scales were tested to determine if they yield incremental predictive validity beyond the CRS. A sample of 1,528 federally sentenced women was analyzed. Results found addition of gender-informed variables improved the incremental predictive validity of the CRS. This was found for non-Indigenous offenders, but results for Indigenous offenders were mixed. Findings supported the inclusion of gender-informed factors to the CRS. Implications for CSC and future research directions are discussed.Keywords:gender-informed predictors, classification, institutional misconduct