Doesn’t this mean that it is just a matter of time before the offender commits another crime?
The actuarial risk prediction process is much like the process insurance companies use when determining the insurance costs of a particular driver. If the driver has speeding tickets, they will pose a greater risk to be in a traffic accident than drivers who have not; thus, they will pay more for their insurance. Those drivers who have had a DWI conviction pay more for their insurance because they are more likely to get in an accident than speeders. When someone gets enough tickets, they have to buy “risk” insurance because they have the greatest risk of being involved in an accident. Not all speeders or persons convicted of driving while intoxicated get into accidents. In fact, most of them will not even have accidents; it’s just that they are statistically more likely to have an accident than are other drivers. Similarly, not all offenders with a high score on the risk test, or even most of them, will commit another crime. They are just most likely to commit another crime than an off
