riskandneeds.com - Adult Presentence Evaluation -----------------------------

The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) can be administered to the defendant prior to sentencing. It is designed to provide helpful information to court service personnel, judges, jail administrators and attorneys. The APE can be administered at any of several stages in the defendant's proceedings, such as prior to formal charges being filed, before the defendant's initial court appearance, prior to initial services or probable cause hearings, in advance of pretrial-release decisions, ahead of preliminary/grand jury hearings, at prescreening prior to sentencing and litigation, after an indictment is issued or before diversion program decisions are made. The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) can be administered by professional evaluators (assessment) staff, court evaluators, probation departments and mental health professionals. The APE can be used in misdemeanor and felony cases. It can also be given to men and women. The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) focuses upon understanding the defendant's attitudes and behavior.

APPLICATIONS

** Adult Presentence Evaluation **

Assessment of defendants at presentence, before or after conviction.
Administered for hearing officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges.
Administered by court service personnel, jail administrators and corrections staff.
Administered by community services programs and mental health professionals.
Administered by probation departments and community corrections.
Evaluation of defendants for diversion program eligibility.
Drug court adult (male and female) defendant evaluation.

The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) assesses attitudes and behaviors, yielding a defendant profile. The APE contains 158 items and takes 35 minutes to complete. APE's are scored on-site, and reports are printed within 2½ minutes of data entry.

The APE was developed specifically for adult (male and female) presentence evaluation. It is much more than just another alcohol or drug test. Consequently, it measures important behaviors missed by other tests.

The APE is a test. That can be administered in an objective and standardized manner. And, as a test, it has demonstrated reliability, validity and accuracy.

At the presentence level, it is important to determine the defendant's problems and needs. Early problem detection facilitates important defendant awareness and, as warranted, quicker intervention and treatment. This type of information helps in understanding the defendant, their presenting situation (case) and possible contributing factors. On the other hand, it's equally important to know when the defendant is problem free.

At one sitting of approximately 30 to 35 minutes' duration, the court can acquire a vast amount of defendant information. As discussed earlier, early problem identification facilitates timely treatment.

Screening or assessment instruments filter out individuals with problems. This filtering system works as follows:

Reference to the above table shows that a problem is not identified until a scale score is at the 70^th percentile or higher. These risk range percentiles are based upon the suspects/defendants that have completed the APE. This procedure is fair and avoids extremes, i.e., over-identification and under-identification of problems.

In the cases represented in the above table, 11% of the people screened (Severe Problem) might be referred for a more comprehensive psychological evaluation and/or treatment. Or, suspects with problems (Problem Risk and Severe Problem) could be referred for additional services. In these examples, 89% or 69% (contingent upon the adopted policy) of the people screened they would not be referred for additional, expensive and unnecessary services.

Savings (dollars) could be large with no compromises in defendants receiving appropriate evaluation and/or treatment services. Indeed, it is likely that more suspects would receive help. Without a screening program, there is usually more risk of over or under-utilization of additional professional services.

It is important to establish the defendant's attitudinal, emotional, substance abuse and behavioral problems so that the court understands the person appearing before it. At the risk of over simplicity, the APE clarifies many of the defendant's strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, it helps to review the APE scales (areas of inquiry or measures) from that perspective. The seven APE scales (measures) include: 1.Truthfulness Scale, 2.Resistance Scale, 3. Violence (Lethality) Scale, 4. Stress Coping Abilities Scale, 5. Alcohol Scale, 6. Drugs Scale and 7. Substance Abuse/Dependency Scale.

The Truthfulness Scale determines how truthful the defendant was while completing the APE. The Resistance Scale indicates how compliant and cooperative the defendant is. The Violence (Lethality) Scale establishes how dangerous the defendant is to self and others. The Stress Coping Abilities Scale filters out established emotional and mental health problems. The Alcohol Scale quantifies alcohol use and abuse severity. Similarly, the Drugs Scale measures the severity of illicit drug abuse. And, the Substance Abuse/Dependency Scale classifies defendants as substance abusers, substance dependent or non-pathological substance users according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) criteria. Many expert witnesses consider this test to be comprehensive.

APE test booklets are provided free. These booklets contain 158 items and are written at a 5^th to 6^th grade reading level. If a person can read the newspaper, they can read the APE test booklet.

In brief, Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) reports summarize the suspect's self-report history, present empirically based scale scores, explain what attained scale scores mean and offer specific score-related recommendations. An example APE report is presented at the end of this webpage. You can go directly to this example report by clicking on this APE Example Report link.

Within 2½ minutes of test data entry, automated (computer-scored) 4-page reports are printed on-site. These reports summarize a lot of information in an easily understood format. For example, reports include an APE profile (graph), which summarizes all scale scores at a glance. Also included is an explanation of what each score means and specific score-related recommendations. In addition, significant items (direct admissions) are highlighted, and answers to a built-in multiple choice (last sequence of items) are presented. Emphasis is placed on having concise yet meaningful reports that are helpful and easily understood.

The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) has a proprietary built-in database that insures inclusion of all administered tests in a confidential (no names) manner. APE reliability, validity and accuracy are reported in the document titled " APE: An Inventory of Scientific Findings." Annual database analysis further demonstrates that APE scales have impressively high reliability and validity coefficients.

For example, coefficient alphas for the Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) scales are reported in the following table for defendants tested with the APE.

All APE scales have alpha coefficients above the professionally accepted standard of .75 and are highly reliable. And, all coefficient alphas are significant at the p<.001 level.

Early studies used criterion measures, and APE scales were validated with other tests, e.g., Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) L-Scale and F-Scale, 16 PF, MacAndrews, SAQ-Adult Probation III, Defendant Questionnaire, etc. Much of this research is summarized in the document titled "APE: An Inventory of Scientific Findings." Subsequently, discriminant and predictive validity database studies further support APE reliability, validity and accuracy.

APE research is presented at the end of this webpage. To go directly to this research, click on the APE Research Study link.

The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) is available in Windows diskettes. Windows diskettes require a one-time computer setup procedure after which APE data (25 or 50 test applications) diskettes are used to score and print reports. Training manuals are provided free, and new test users can be walked through APE scoring procedures over the telephone.

Proprietary APE diskettes contain 25 or 50 test applications. These 3½" diskettes score, interpret and print reports on-site. Once an APE account is established, diskettes are mailed to users. Approximately 97% of orders are filled and mailed back to users the same day. When all test applications on a diskette are used, diskettes are returned to Risk & Needs Assessment, Inc. (Risk & Needs) where demographics and test data are downloaded into the APE database for subsequent database analysis.

No personal information, names, social security numbers, etc. are ever downloaded into any test database.

The proprietary "delete names" program is activated by the test user with a few keystrokes to delete all respondent names from diskettes before they are returned to Risk & Needs. Deleting all client names insures protection of each respondent's confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA (federal regulation 45 C.F.R. 164.501).

The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) system contains a proprietary built-in database. Earlier, it was noted that all used APE diskettes are returned to Risk & Needs, and the test data is downloaded into the expanding APE database. This database allows ongoing research and testing program summary features that were not possible before. Ongoing research insures quality control. Annual testing program summaries provide for program self-evaluation. And, these features are provided free.

The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) permits ongoing research and annual program summary -- at no additional cost. As discussed earlier, when the 25 or 50 tests on a diskette are used, used diskettes are returned to Risk & Needs and downloaded into the expanding APE database. Advantages of this proprietary database are many and include database (research) analysis along with annual summary reports.

No personal information, names, social security numbers, etc. are ever downloaded into any test database.

Tests contained on returned diskettes can be summarized on a state, department or agency basis -- at no additional cost to users. Annual summary reports provide information that permits testing program review. An example summary report can be reviewed by clicking on the Annual Summary Reports link.

In summary, all returned Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) diskettes' test data is centrally filed at Risk & Needs' offices in the expanding APE database. This database has many advantages. Database analysis permits ongoing cost efficient research that includes scale alpha coefficients, ANOVA, frequency distributions, correlations, cross-tab statistics along with reliability, validity and accuracy determinations. An APE research study can be reviewed by clicking on the APE Research Study link.

Risk & Needs can access each of its tests' built-in databases for statistical analysis and summarization of all tests administered in a year. Annual Summary Reports are prepared for state, department, agency and even some individual providers -- at no cost to them. These reports are provided as a professional courtesy to large volume test users. Summary reports include demographics, court-history when relevant, and test statistics (reliability, validity and accuracy). Has anyone offered to summarize your testing program? Annually? At no additional cost to you? Minimum testing volume for annual reports is 350 tests. There is no maximum limit. Risk & Needs' annual reports range in size from 350 tests to over 55,000 tests annually. An example Annual Summary Report can be reviewed by clicking on this Annual Summary Reports link.

The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) is to be used in conjunction with experienced staff judgment. When available, court records should be reviewed, as they can contain important information not provided or incorrectly provided by the respondent. Experienced staff should interview the defendant. For these reasons, the following statement is contained in each APE report: "Adult Presentence Evaluation results are confidential and are considered working hypotheses. No diagnosis or decision should be based solely upon these results. These test results are to be used in conjunction with experienced staff judgment and review of available records."

At the adult presentence stage of court processing, decisions must be made regarding pretrial release, diversion program options, and formal charges. Adult Presentence Evaluation reports can help prosecutors, judges, attorneys, court staff, probation officers and mental health professionals better understand the accused's strengths and weaknesses. There are many misdemeanor and felony cases in which questions are raised concerning status, attitudes, beliefs and behavioral predispositions. The APE provides an objective and standardized assessment of many important areas of inquiry. An example report can be reviewed by clicking on the APE Example Report link.

Sometimes, the accused minimize, exaggerate or distort the truth. Sometimes, this denial is deliberate, yet many times it's inadvertent. People want to appear in a good light, particularly in a court setting. Yet, in most cases, it is important to determine whether or not the accused is telling the truth. The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) contains a Truthfulness Scale.

The Truthfulness Scale determines how truthful the accused was while completing the test. This scale identifies denial, problem minimization and attempts to fake good. And, the APE doesn't stop there.

Error of measurement due to untruthfulness is measured for each APE scale and reported as Truth-Corrected scores. Truth-Corrected scores are more accurate than raw scores. Many evaluators won't use a test, particularly in court-related settings, that doesn't have a Truthfulness Scale.

Truth-Corrected Scores: Have proven to be very important for assessment accuracy. This proprietary truth correction process is comparable to the MMPI's K-Scale correction. The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) Truthfulness Scale has been correlated with the other 6 scales. The Truth Correction equation converts raw scores to Truth-Corrected scores. Truth-Corrected scores are more accurate than raw scores. Raw scores reflect what the defendant wants you to know. Truth-Corrected scores reveal what the defendant is attempting to hide.

More than just another alcohol or drug test. In addition to alcohol and drugs, the Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) assesses other important areas of inquiry like truthfulness, denial and faking, resistance, emotional/mental health problems, etc. The APE is specifically designed for defendant screening.

Three ways to give the APE. The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) can be administered in three different ways: 1. Paper-pencil test booklet format is the most popular testing procedure. APE English and Spanish test booklets and answer sheets are available. 2. Tests can be given directly on the computer screen in either English or Spanish. And, 3.Human voice audio in English or Spanish is available. These three test administration modes are discussed in the "APE: Orientation and Training Manual." Each test administration mode has advantages and some limitations. Risk & Needs offers these three test modes so test users can select the administration mode that is optimally suited to their needs.

Reading Impaired Assessment: Reading impaired defendants represent 20+ percent of the defendants tested. This represents a serious problem to other assessment tests. Risk & Needs has developed an alternative for dealing with this problem: Human Voice Audio.

Human Voice Audio: Presentation of the Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) is in English and Spanish. Defendants' passive vocabularies are often greater than their active vocabularies. Hearing items read out loud often helps reduce cultural and communication problems. This administration mode requires earphones/speakers and simple instructions to orient the defendant to the up-down arrow keys on the computer keyboard. Human Voice Audio is an alternative approach for screening reading impaired defendants.

Confidentiality: Risk & Needs encourages test users to delete defendant names from diskettes before they are returned to Risk & Needs. Once defendant names are deleted, they are gone and cannot be retrieved. Deleting defendant names does not delete demographics or test data, which is downloaded into the APE database for subsequent analysis. This proprietary 'name deletion' procedure involves a few keystrokes and insures defendant confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA (federal regulation 45 C.F.R. 164.501).

Test Data Input Verification: Allows the person that inputs test data from the answer sheet into the computer to verify the accuracy of their data input. In brief, test data is input twice, and any inconsistencies between the first and second data entries are highlighted until corrected. When the first and second data entries match or are the same, the staff person can continue. This proprietary Data Input Verification procedure is optional, yet strongly recommended by Risk & Needs.

Inventory of Scientific Findings: Much of the Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) research has been gathered together in a document titled "APE: An Inventory of Scientific Findings." This document summarizes APE research chronologically -- as the studies were completed. This chronological reporting format was established largely because of the APE database, which permits annual database analysis of all tests administered.

Staff Training: Risk & Needs' staff is available to participate in Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) training programs conducted by statewide programs, departments and high volume agencies in the United States. Sometimes, smaller volume providers get together for collective (multiple providers) on-site training. Risk & Needs typically participates in 4-hour or 6-hour APE training sessions. This training can include hands-on computer scoring, as desired. Risk & Needs gives attendees certificates attesting to their APE training.

Staff training is also provided on Fridays at Risk & Needs' Phoenix offices from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. These training sessions are free. To participate, contact Risk & Needs at least ten days in advance. Participation is on a first call, first scheduled basis.

Test Unit Fee (Cost): Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) cost information can be reviewed by clicking on the Test Unit Fee (Cost) link. There is only the one fee or charge, and that is the test unit fee. Everything else is included at no additional cost. This includes test booklets, answer sheets, training manuals, upgrades, ongoing database research, annual test program summaries, staff training, and support services. Do not be misled by some test publishers' à la carte pricing, which involves separate costs for each test administration as well as for each of the test-related items listed above. Instead of asking for test administration cost, ask for the total cost involved in using a test. Risk & Needs' test unit fee is very competitively priced. And, it is very affordable.

Free Examination Kit: A 1-test APE demonstration diskette is available on a 30-day cost free basis. The examination kit contains a 1-test demo diskette, Installation CD (with instructions), test booklet (reusable), 2 answer sheets, an "APE: Orientation and Training Manual," and some descriptive information. Risk & Needs does want the demonstration diskette and test booklet returned within 30 days of receipt.

Support Services: Risk & Needs provides a full range of support services. These services include e-mail, fax and telephone availability, provision of test-related information, telephone walk through assistance, staff training and test consultation. Support services and test-related materials are provided free.

If you are selecting a presentence screening tool for adults, the following Comparison Checklist should prove helpful. It lists important screening test qualities. The "Other" column represents any other test you might want to compare to the APE.

At the adult presentence level, the court needs information upon which to base its decisions. The Adult Presentence Evaluation includes seven scales (measures): 1. Truthfulness Scale, 2. Resistance Scale, 3. Violence (Lethality) Scale, 4. Stress Coping Abilities Scale, 5. Alcohol Scale, 6. Drugs Scale and 7. the Substance Abuse/Dependency Scale. The Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) helps provide important defendant information at the presentence level of case processing.

The 4-page Adult Presentence Evaluation (APE) report utilizes a uniform, yet highly individualized report format. Test data is scored, interpreted and reports are printed within 2½ minutes on-site. An example Adult Presentence Evaluation report follows.