Statistical Information on Recidivism (SIR)

The SIR Scale is a static actuarial risk assessment tool developed and employed within the Correctional Service of Canada for the assessment of risk of general recidivism with adult male federal offenders (serving sentences of a minimum 2-year duration). This entry discusses the development, applications, and validation research of the SIR Scale, including its use with special populations.

Development and Item Content

Developed initially in 1982 by Joan Nuffield, the SIR Scale was constructed and validated on a combined sample of 2,475 adult male federal offenders who were released from 1970 through 1972 and followed up for 3 years in the community. The SIR Scale was developed through what has become known as the Burgess method, that is, by differentially weighting predictor variables shown to successfully discriminate ...

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