Introduction
The Criminal Justice Reform Act (CJR) requires the establishment of data collection and reporting standards for all Massachusetts criminal justice agencies, including data on risk and needs assessment scores. Data collection and reporting standards for criminal justice agencies were established by 501 CMR 18. In compliance with these standards, criminal justice agencies are required to report risk and needs assessment scores to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) to be analyzed and published in Cross-Tracking dashboards.
About the Information Displayed Below
Several criminal justice agencies use risk and needs assessment tools unique to their agencies' needs. Conducting risk and needs assessments is integral to the overall mission of custodial and community supervision agencies to enhance public safety, promote rehabilitation, and allocate resources effectively. Assessments help prioritize services and interventions based on individual risks and needs, ensuring that resources are used effectively to reduce recidivism and promote positive outcomes.
These assessments allow criminal justice agency staff to identify those offenders who might be at a higher risk of reoffending and tailor supervision and programming. Risk and needs assessment tools generate objective scores which provide insights into an offender’s specific needs, such as substance use treatment, mental health services, educational programs, or vocational training. Tailoring program placements based on these assessments increases the likelihood of successful reintegration into society upon release and success in the community while under supervision.
Risk and needs tools generate total objective scores. Depending on the tool, the individual may be asked questions based on a specific topic, referred to as subcomponents. Each subcomponent is given its own score based off the tool's scoring criteria. While the total score is generally used to evaluate risk of re-offense and make housing placements, subcomponent scores are used to drill down on certain areas that may be more applicable to one individual over another and assist in securing the right program placement, identifying substance use disorders, relationship needs, etc. For a complete list of the subcomponents used in the tools, please visit the FAQ.
It is important to note that these structured and validated instruments are grounded in evidence-based research that ensures that custodial and supervision decisions are based on objective measures. For more information on the tools and generated scores, please see the FAQ.
The information displayed aggregates data from several management systems utilized by Commonwealth criminal justice agencies, including:
- the Department of Correction’s (DOC) Inmate Management System (IMS);
- the County Sheriffs’ 12 independent Offender Management Systems (OMS);
- Hampden County’s Jail Management System (JMS);
- the Parole Board’s Record Management System (SPIRIT II); and
- the Massachusetts Trial Court MassCourts system.
Models Explained
Because of the differences in the availability of automated risk and needs assessment data at this time, EOPSS determined that it was beneficial to publish two (2) models to display the risk and needs assessment data effectively. The models are organized by management system utilized to obtain the data and the corresponding agencies. The models will be known as “MA DOC, Parole, Probation, and Hampden County” and “Barnstable, Berkshire, Franklin, Middlesex, and Worcester Counties.”
As more data is automated and becomes available from these agencies and the remaining Sheriffs’ Offices utilizing OMS, EOPSS will consolidate the models into one.
For both models, the dashboards show the total population for each agency as well as the assessed population (the population that has received a risk and needs assessment score). For custodial agencies, only the sentenced population is displayed.
You can also download the data through a link at the bottom of each page. For all dashboards, users can filter by agency, sex, age group, race, ethnicity, and location.
For more information about the dashboard, you can access FAQs here.
For any other questions, please write toCJ360help@mass.gov
MA DOC, Parole, Probation, and Hampden County Model
The MA DOC, Parole, Probation, and Hampden County model displays risk and needs assessment scores from four (4) criminal justice agencies and four (4) operating systems:
- the Massachusetts Parole Board (Parole) and SPIRIT II;
- the Massachusetts Probation Service (Probation) and MassCourts;
- the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) and IMS; and
- Hampden County Sheriff’s Office and JMS.
This includes aggregated data for calendar years 2020 through 2024 and shows overall risk and needs assessment ratings along with the results of the subcomponent measures.
Barnstable, Berkshire, Franklin, Middlesex, and Worcester Counties Model
The Barnstable, Berkshire, Franklin, Middlesex, and Worcester Counties model displays data collected from a single management system, Offender Management System (OMS) from the following five (5) criminal justice agencies:
- Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office;
- Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office;
- Franklin County Sheriff’s Office;
- Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office; and
- Worcester County Sheriff’s Office.
This data is available beginning January 1, 2025, and quarterly thereafter and shows overall risk and needs assessment ratings but does not display the results of the subcomponent measures.
For more information about the dashboard, you can access FAQs here.
For any other questions, please write toCJ360help@mass.gov
Revision History
| Details | Date |
|---|---|
| Published On | 10/28/2025 |