Evaluating risk of reoffending for a young person who has come into conflict with the law serves several important functions. At the most basic level, a risk assessment can inform judicial decisions such as whether the youth can be released to community under supervision while awaiting a court date or if the youth should be detained in custody. Similarly, risk assessments can help inform sentencing after a young person has been convicted of a crime; for instance, high-risk youth committing more serious crimes may receive a longer sentence or perhaps a period of custody in a secure youth institution, while lower risk youth may be candidates for a community-based sentence. Perhaps most importantly, a risk assessment can identify those areas in which a young person ...