Criminogenic Risk Assessment Beyond Juvenile Justice: Exploring the Predictive Ability of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) in Norway

This study evaluated the predictive properties of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) in 646 Norwegian adolescents (63% males) placed in non-secure, community-based residential care. Using receiver operating characteristics and logistic regression, the study explored the YLS/CMI’s efficacy in predicting various recidivism outcomes across subgroups. The inventory demonstrated to be a significant predictor for all categories of offending behavior (area under the curve ranged from .62 to .77). Although the YLS/CMI total risk score showed a robust association with offending across subgroups, there were discernible variations in predictive ability between males and females. This pattern extended to analyses of subdomains and have implications for clinical use. Overall, the findings support the YLS/CMI as a useful tool for predicting delinquency in a Norwegian residential setting and contribute to the expanding body of literature supporting the instrument’s utility across various cultures and contexts.