Research indicated that justice interventions and heightened levels of supervision can increase the likelihood of future offending for low-risk populations and reduce the likelihood of offending for high-risk youth. Therefore, identifying who is low-risk – and then limiting the types of justice interventions used for this population – is critical for keeping the public safe while minimizing the level of harm associated with state involvement in a youth’s life. Risk and needs assessments are implemented to assist with the proper identification of a youth’s risk level and to guide decisions on how to best intervene with youth to prevent recidivism.