Our experts here at Northpointe realized that current risk and needs assessment tools were generally developed for community based offender populations using a more "retrospective" approach to assessing needs. This approach is much less applicable to the longer term incarcerated inmate populations. For the long term inmate, work, school, residential, peer, etc status prior to incarceration are not always relevant factors in assessing their reentry needs. To address this gap in current assessment systems, Northpointe has developed a state-of-the-art version of COMPAS for the Reentry population using a "prospective" approach. COMPAS Reentry focuses much of the needs portion of the assessment towards what social supports, social capital, self efficacy and other needs the offender will face at release. COMPAS Reentry provides scales for both the male and female inmate populations, assessing the risks and needs of offenders preparing to leave prison and transition back into the community.

The gender neutral COMPAS Reentry assessment scales include standard risk factors in combination with community Reentry domains such as early onset of delinquency, history of non-compliance, occurrences of prison misconduct, substance abuse, the risk of housing problems, etc upon release. Instead of relying on factors established for male offenders, additional female factors are provided in COMPAS Reentry to address specific risk and needs that present challenges faced by women upon reentering the community. Northpointe research staff have also developed specific offender "typology" classifications for the prison reentry inmate populations. The typology assignment report is generated along with the primary reentry risk and needs bar chart.

COMPAS Reentry includes all of the features found in COMPAS Core including the Northpointe developed Case Supervision Review Assessment tool. In addition to being able to reassess over the longer term using the main COMPAS Reentry assessment, the Case Supervision Review instrument is designed to be used every 4 to 6 months offering a quick 23 item review of the probationer or parolee’s compliance with conditions and progress in addressing the main criminogenic need areas e.g. work, residence, peers, substance abuse, family and life stressors. COMPAS automatically scores the instrument and recommends any adjustment to the offender’s current supervision level.