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When evaluating inmates, what information do you want? Is it important to know if the inmate was being truthful? How about violence potential, antisocial attitudes and suicidal ideation? Should we explore an inmate’s incarceration adjustment, self-esteem and their judgment? Is there any reason to evaluate an inmate’s substance (alcohol or other drugs) abuse? Should we even care about inmate distress and stress handling abilities? Risk & Needs Assessment, Inc.’s (Risk & Needs') answer to all of the above questions is yes!

The Prison Inmate Inventory (PII) is designed just for prison inmate (male and female) assessment. The Prison Inmate Inventory (PII) is an automated (computer-scored) self-report assessment instrument or test. Each of the above Prison Inmate Inventory (PII) scales (measures) represents an area of inquiry deemed important for understanding prison (penitentiary or reformatory) inmates.

Can the Prison Inmate Inventory (PII) be administered to large numbers of offenders? There is no limit to the number of inmates that can be evaluated. Prison systems using the Prison Inmate Inventory (PII) typically test inmate groups, e.g., 20+ inmates at a time. This involves one staff person who gives instructions, provides supervision and proctors test administration. PII testing can be done individually or in groups with paper-pencil test booklets. Some prisons have a testing room; whereas, others use the cafeteria. Volume scoring with an optical scanner is also an option. Most prisons using the PII employ optical scanner scoring.

Does Risk & Needs provide staff training and ongoing program support? The answer is an emphatic yes! Risk & Needs provides PII training materials, participates in staff training (when asked) and provides ongoing support services at no additional cost.

Does Risk & Needs offer an examination kit? Yes! Upon request, Risk & Needs provides a PII examination kit containing 2 free test administrations. This gives interested parties the chance to administer the PII to two inmates then critique the results. All Risk & Needs asks is that the PII test booklet and diskette be returned within 30 days of their receipt. To obtain a PII examination kit, e-mail Risk & Needs at hhl@riskandneeds.com.

Can you tell if the inmate was truthful? Yes! The PII has a built-in Truthfulness Scale that determines if the inmate was truthful while completing the test. In some respects, it is similar to the MMPI’s L and K-Scales. The PII’s Truthfulness Scale identifies denial, problem minimization and attempts to fake good. Many evaluators will not use a test without a built-in Truthfulness Scale. The PII’s Truthfulness Scale has demonstrated reliability, validity and accuracy.

PII research is available upon request. PII research involves thousands of inmates and is summarized in the document titled "PII: An Inventory of Scientific Findings." The PII has very impressive reliability, validity and ac-curacy. This research can be provided upon request. A PII research study is presented at the end of this webpage. To go directly to this research study, click on the PII Research Study link.

When can the PII be administered? Whenever you need to know the inmate’s risk and needs. Upon prison entry, prior to supervision level changes and before parole review and/or release. Carefully review the ten PII scales listed earlier. These scales represent important areas of inquiry for inmate decision making.

Does the PII have anything to do with lowering recidivism? Absolutely! The PII assesses those factors many believe to be closely linked to behavioral change. Factors (or needs) such as substance (alcohol and other drugs) abuse, violence (lethality), antisocial attitudes and emotional or mental health are measured by the PII. The goal of any corrections program is to reduce recidivism, and by measuring an inmate’s needs, intervention programs can be tailored to meet those needs. Placing inmates in appropriate intervention can reduce recidivism by 25% to 50% or more.

Is the PII expensive? The PII test unit fee is very competitively priced. To review PII cost, click on the PII Test Unit Fee (Cost) link. This link is also presented at the end of this webpage.

Reference

Andrews, D.A., Singer, I., Hoge, R., Bonta, J., Gendreau, P., & Cullen, F., (1989). Does Correctional Treatment Work? (Paper presented at the Research Seminar of National Associations Active in Criminal Justice, Ottawa, Canada.)

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