Commission members and staff raised concerns about inconsistencies in risk and needs assessments and how those inconsistencies affect supervision, parole and reentry outcomes.

One speaker, identified as Chris, urged creation of an institutional or universal standard so that the same person is not judged differently by separate decisionmakers. Other commissioners noted that classification systems work well for some purposes (for example, work-release eligibility) but that the way results are used across the system—by parole boards, prison classification and community supervision—can differ.

Commissioner Buckner urged that when an assessor or decisionmaker finds an individual to be unsafe, the assessment include specific reasons documenting that finding so decisions are transparent and can be reviewed. Commissioners discussed linking assessments to transition planning: assessments should inform supervision level, service matching (behavioral health, housing, job placement) and recommendations to the parole board.

The Justice Center presenter recommended that the working groups and interagency conversations include DOC, PNP (probation & parole), behavioral-health partners and providers to develop uniform guidance or standards for assessment use, and to make transition planning more seamless across agencies. No formal mandate was issued; commissioners agreed to pursue this work in the data and preparedness working groups and in targeted conversations with DOC and PNP.