Identifying high-risk young adults for violence prevention: a validation of psychometric and social scales in Honduras

High levels of violent crime plague Honduras, limiting economic, social, and human development. Numerous programs in the country seek to prevent violence and gang membership among youth. Fewer programs address young adults, and fewer still have a method to target those most at risk of violence involvement - either as perpetrators or as victims. This paper focuses on a method to identify and tailor prevention programs to the young adult population at elevated risk. The development and validation of the Violence-Involved Persons Risk Assessment (VIP-RA) tool is described. In Honduras, the authors validate psychometric and social risk assessment tools that have been empirically evaluated in the United States and Europe. Using criteria established to cover domains and risk factors identified in the literature, eight tools were selected for validation. VIP-RA is now a component of a workforce development program in Honduras that targets a population of primarily young-adult males between the ages of 16-30 living in high crime municipalities. VIP-RA was informed by the process to develop the Youth Services Eligibility Tool (YSET) in Los Angeles and the process to adapt the YSET for use in Honduras.