Constituting the ‘sexually violent predator’: Law, forensic psychology, and the adjudication of risk – 2018
Considerable socio-legal scholarship demonstrates law’s constitutive power, and much criminological research has considered the effects of actuarial risk assessment. However, these strands have rarely been brought together to consider how legal risk assessment practices constitute sexual subjects. This article argues
Decision-Making Behaviour under the Mental Health Act 1983 and Its Impact on Mental Health Tribunals: An English Perspective [2018]
In England and Wales, the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA 1983) provides the legal framework which governs decisions made concerning the care and treatment of those suffering from mental disorders, where they may pose a risk to themselves or others.
Detecting Inconsistent Responding on the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory–Short Form [2017]
The Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory–Short Form (YPI-S) is a convenient measure for assessing psychopathy in settings with constraints on resources. However, the YPI-S does not contain a means of detecting careless or random response styles. The present study describes the
Determinants of aggression against all health care workers in a large-sized university hospital [2020]
BackgroundThe paper aims to describe the 3-year incidence (2015/17) of aggressive acts against all healthcare workers to identify risk factors associated to violence among a variety of demographic and professional determinants of assaulted, and risk factors related to the circumstances
Development of Protective Factors for Reducing Juvenile Reoffending: A Strengths-Based Approach to Risk Assessment [2020]
This study described the development of the Protective Factors for Reducing Juvenile Reoffending (PFRJR), a strengths-based measure to assess responsivity, guide case management, and potentially predict desistance. The study employed two diverse independent samples: a construction sample (N = 278)
Development of the Nonverbal Cues of Interpersonal Violence Inventory: Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions of Nonverbal Behavior and Violence – 2018-01-20
Across two studies, we investigated nonverbal behaviors perceived to precede imminent interpersonal violence. Study 1 identified the six-factor structure of the Nonverbal Cues of Interpersonal Violence (NCIV) and also examined differences in perceptions of imminent interpersonal violence between law enforcement
Discrimination and Calibration Properties of the Level of Service Inventory–Ontario Revision in a Correctional Mental Health Sample
We examined the predictive properties of the Level of Service Inventory–Ontario Revision (LSI-OR) in a sample of 604 provincially incarcerated men with mental illness from a correctional mental health facility followed up nearly 2 years after release. Recidivism base rates
Do risk assessment tools help manage and reduce risk of violence and reoffending? A systematic review – 2018
Although it is widely believed that risk assessment tools can help manage risk of violence and offending, it is unclear what evidence exists to support this view. As such, we conducted a systematic review and narrative synthesis. To identify studies,
Do scores on the HCR-20 and FAM predict frequency of self-harm in females within a secure psychiatric hospital? [2018]
The Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management scales (HCR-20) and the Female Additional Manual (FAM) are violence risk assessment tools. This study aimed to examine whether scores on the HCR-20 and FAM are related to frequency of self-harm. HCR-20 Version 3
Dynamic Risk Assessment of Sexual Offenders: Validity and Dimensional Structure of the Stable-2007 – 2018
In this study, the predictive and incremental validity of the Stable-2007 beyond the Static-99 was evaluated in an updated sample of N = 638 adult male sexual offenders followed-up for an average of M = 8.2 years. Data were collected
Evaluating the utility of ‘strength’ items when assessing the risk of young offenders [2018]
There is emerging recognition that positive or pro-social characteristics may lessen criminal propensity. There are now several adult and youth forensic instruments that include protective or strength components. Yet evidence supporting the protective capacities of these instruments with youth offending
Examination of differential validity of MMPI-2-RF scores by gender and ethnicity in predicting future suicidal and violent behaviors in a forensic sample [2019]
Given the diversity of individuals who undergo psychological assessment, examining whether cultural bias exists in psychological assessment instruments (i.e., differential validity) is crucial. This issue occurs when a measure systematically over- or underpredicts a criterion across demographic groups or is
Exploring a new structured professional judgment measure (impulsivity measure related to violence) after an average follow‐up of 10 years: A study of Finnish offenders [2019]
Background Identification of the risk factors underlying impulsivity related to violent acts is an essential component of risk assessment and management to reduce violent offending. Aims Our aim was to develop a clinically useful measure for assessing impulsivity related to
Factors and predictors of length of stay in offenders diagnosed with schizophrenia – a machine-learning-based approach [2020]
BackgroundProlonged forensic psychiatric hospitalizations have raised ethical, economic, and clinical concerns. Due to the confounded nature of factors affecting length of stay of psychiatric offender patients, prior research has called for the application of a new statistical methodology better accommodating
Field Inter-Rater Reliability of the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised – 2016-06-01
Strong inter-rater reliability has been established for the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R), specifically by examiners in research contexts. However, there is less support for inter-reliability in applied settings. This study examined archival data that included a sample of sex offenders
Forensic Assessment with the PAI in Correctional Samples: Implications for RNR [2019]
The present investigation examined Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) correlates of Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) scores in a sample (N = 377) of offenders with diverse criminal histories. It was hypothesized that PAI scales with content reflective of criminogenic needs would be associated
Forensic risk assessment interviews with youth: how do we elicit the most reliable and complete information? [2020]
When undertaking a forensic risk assessment with a young person, most evaluators complete an assessment interview to elicit autobiographical history as well as perspectives, thoughts and feelings about the individual’s offending behaviour. While forensic risk assessment tools provide some suggestions
Gender and Risk Assessment in Juvenile Offenders: A Meta-Analysis [2017]
Although young males are still the primary perpetrators of juvenile crime, the percentage of girls experiencing criminal justice system contact has risen. To identify effective interventions and address public concerns regarding juvenile crime, scholars and practitioners have assessed recidivism risk
Gender and violence risk assessment in prisons [2018]
Our study examines the association between Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20: Version 2; Psychopathy Checklist–Revised; and Violence Risk Assessment Guide scores and violence perpetrated during incarceration by male and female inmates. Using a sample of 288 men and 183 women selected
Gender-Sensitive Violence Risk Assessment: Predictive Validity of Six Tools in Female Forensic Psychiatric Patients [2019]
Most violence risk assessment tools have been validated predominantly in males. In this multicenter study, the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management–20 (HCR-20), Historical, Clinical, Risk Management–20 Version 3 (HCR-20V3), Female Additional Manual (FAM), Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START), Structured
High-Risk Violent Prisoners’ Patterns of Change on Parole on the DRAOR’s Dynamic Risk and Protective Factors [2017]
Few studies have examined change after treatment completion; such investigations can enhance our understanding of how a rehabilitative intervention leads to reduced recidivism. The current study uses growth curve modeling to investigate change in dynamic risk factors in the community,
Identification of low risk of violent crime in severe mental illness with a clinical prediction tool (Oxford Mental Illness and Violence tool [OxMIV]): a derivation and validation study [2017]
Background Current approaches to stratify patients with psychiatric disorders into groups on the basis of violence risk are limited by inconsistency, variable accuracy, and unscalability. To address the need for a scalable and valid tool to assess violence risk in
Identifying patients at risk of inpatient aggression at the time of admission to acute mental health care. What factors should clinicians consider? [2016]
Objective: The aim of this study was to identify, at the time of admission, predictors of aggression in adults admitted to acute mental health care. Method: Adult patients (n = 350) consecutively admitted to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in
Imminent Aggression in Female Forensic Inpatients: A Study Assessing the Predictive Validity of the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression: Women’s Version (DASA: WV) [2019]
Despite high rates of aggression on female psychiatric inpatient units and research to suggest that risk factors for violence may be different for men and women, violence risk assessment instruments are typically developed and validated through research on male populations.
Implementation of risk assessment tools in psychiatric services [2020]
Violence remains a major risk management concern in psychiatric services with implications on the safety and well‐being of patients, staff, and the public. Serious physical and psychological consequences of violence involving property damage, bodily injuries, and threat to life have
Implementation of the Brøset Violence Checklist on an Acute Psychiatric Unit [2019]
BACKGROUND: Violence on inpatient psychiatric settings has significant consequences for patients and staff. Research is needed to determine if Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC) is an accurate predictor of violence. AIMS: The study aims were to determine the relationship between BVC
Implementing a Violence Risk Screening Protocol in a Civil Psychiatric Setting: Preliminary Results and Clinical Policy Implications
Comprehensive violence risk assessment can require substantial time and resources, which may be challenging for an already strapped public mental health system. Herein, we describe a naturalistic study of the Fordham Risk Screening Tool (“FRST”), a violence risk screening instrument
Indigenous perspectives on violence risk assessment: A thematic analysis [2018]
Violence risk instruments are widely employed with at-risk minority clients in correctional and forensic mental health settings. However, the construction and subsequent validation of such instruments rarely, if at all, incorporate the perceptions, worldviews, life experiences, and belief systems of
Juvenile probation officers’ evaluation of traumatic event exposures and traumatic stress symptoms as responsivity factors in risk assessment and case planning [2018]
Juvenile probation officers (JPOs) are increasingly using risk/needs assessments to evaluate delinquency risk, identify criminogenic needs and specific responsivity factors, and use this information in case planning. Justice-involved youth are exposed to traumatic events and experience traumatic stress symptoms at
Layers of Bias: A Unified Approach for Understanding Problems With Risk Assessment [2018]
Scholars in several fields, including quantitative methodologists, legal scholars, and theoretically oriented criminologists, have launched robust debates about the fairness of quantitative risk assessment. As the Supreme Court considers addressing constitutional questions on the issue, we propose a framework for
Low Risk Offenders Under Probation Supervision: Risk Management and the Risk-Needs-Responsivity Framework [2018]
Community supervision agencies commonly use resource allocation models to identify the amount of monitoring and treatment to provide individuals under supervision. The risk-needs-responsivity model guides these decisions, suggesting the level of supervision should align with one’s risk level, with fewer
Mentalization and empathy as predictors of violence in schizophrenic patients: Comparison with nonviolent schizophrenic patients, violent controls and nonviolent controls [2018]
Highlights• There are no differences in mentalisation in violent and nonviolent schizophrenics. • Worse mentaliation is related to schizophrenia but not violence in this illness. • Violence in schizophrenics and controls has different predictors. Abstract There are conflicting results concerning risk of violence
Modifying a Risk Assessment Instrument for Youthful Offenders – 2016-07-15
High rates of incarceration in the United States are compounded by high rates of recidivism and prison return. One solution is more accurate identification of individual prisoner risks and needs to promote offender rehabilitation and successful community re-entry; this is
No Idle Threat: Exploring Threats and Violence in Persons with Mental Illness [2019]
Violent threats are common and, in the majority of cases, innocuous expressions of emotion. However, some threats result in violence and mental illness is a predictor for threat-related violence (TRV). This study aimed to explore threats and the precursors to
Offender Risk Assessment Practices Vary across Canada – 2018
The dominant Canadian approach to offender rehabilitation, the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model, requires assessing offenders’ likelihood of recidivism and their criminogenic needs (i.e., risk/need assessments). The current study examines the risk/need assessments routinely used in Canadian corrections and compares their risk
On the Link Between Emotionally Driven Impulsivity and Aggression: Evidence From a Validation Study on the Dutch UPPS-P [2017]
The UPPS-P seems to be a promising instrument for measuring different domains of impulsivity in forensic psychiatric patients. Validation studies of the instrument however, have been conducted only in student groups. In this validation study, three groups completed the Dutch
Patterns of Change in Dynamic Risk Factors over Time in Youth Offenders [2019]
Risk assessments that include dynamic risk factors are increasingly being utilized within the youth justice system to predict a young person’s likelihood to reoffend, to assist with case management, and to better inform intervention services. However, most studies to date
Popping the cultural bubble of violence risk assessment tools – 2017-07
Violence risk instruments are administered in medico-legal contexts to estimate an individual’s likelihood of future violence. However, their ostensible limitations; in particular their mono-cultural and risk-centric composition, has drawn academic attention. These concerns may facilitate erroneous risk evaluations for certain
Predicting Institutional Aggression in Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities Using the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide – 2016
Background One of the most extensively tested risk assessment instruments in offenders with an intellectual disability (OIDs) is the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG). The purpose of this prospective study was to test the ability of this instrument to predict
Predicting Offenders’ Institutional Misconduct and Recidivism: The Utility of Behavioral Ratings by Prison Officers [2018]
Measures of current behavior are rarely incorporated into risk assessment. Therefore, the current study used a behavior rating scale to assess prison officers’ observations of inmates prison behavior and examined the contribution of these ratings for risk assessment. Prison officers
Predicting physically violent misconduct in prison: A comparison of four risk assessment instruments [2018]
Violence in correctional facilities is an important issue for both prisoners and prison staff. Risk assessment instruments have demonstrated their accuracy in predicting the risk of (re) offending and institutional violence in psychiatric settings, but less is known about their
Predicting Which Clinically Documented Incidents of Aggression Lead to Findings of Guilt in a Forensic Psychiatric Sample [2020]
This study identified factors that predicted which of 713 clinically documented incidents of aggression—threats to kill, assault, or sexual assault—committed by 404 forensic psychiatric patients were linked to court findings of guilt. Individuals had, on average, 1.7 aggressive incidents and
Prediction of Psychiatric Hospitalization, Diagnoses, Arrests, and Violent Behavior Through Scored Drawings and Associations [2017]
The article presents a completely empirical approach to using drawings and associations as a supplemental tool in forensic psychological assessment. The present system represents a modern alternative to prior theory-driven “projective technique” approaches that have failed to pass scientific scrutiny.
Prediction of Violence, Suicide Behaviors and Suicide Ideation in a Sample of Institutionalized Offenders With Schizophrenia and Other Psychosis [2018]
This study examined the predictive validity of the Spanish version of the Suicide Risk Assessment Manual (S-RAMM) and the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20 (HCR-20) in a sample of violent offenders with schizophrenia and other psychosis, who had committed violent crimes and had
Prediction of violent crime on discharge from secure psychiatric hospitals: A clinical prediction rule (FoVOx) – 2018-01
Background Current approaches to assess violence risk in secure hospitals are resource intensive, limited by accuracy and authorship bias and may have reached a performance ceiling. This study seeks to develop scalable predictive models for violent offending following discharge from
Predictive accuracy of static risk factors for Canadian Indigenous offenders compared to non-Indigenous offenders: implications for risk assessment scales [2018]
The over-representation of Indigenous offenders in Canadian prisons highlights the importance of research on the generalizability of potential static risk factors for this group. The current investigation examined whether 87 static indicators currently assessed in Canadian federal prisons were differentially
Prevalence and Risk of Violent Ideation and Behavior in Serious Mental Illnesses: An Analysis of 63,572 Patient Records [2018]
Research has consistently demonstrated that people diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) are at increased risk for violent ideation and behavior (VIB) and that this is especially the case for SMI patients with comorbid substance use disorders (SUD). Despite this,
Preventing Prison Suicide With Life-Trajectory-Based Screening [2017]
We describe the application of a life-trajectory model of suicide to the prison setting and its implication for suicide risk detection. A model has been developed that describes two distinct trajectories culminating in suicide: one with large amounts of adversity
Principles of risk assessment for researchers and practitioners [2018]
Risk assessment instruments (RAIs) are generally thought to be more accurate and less susceptible to bias than the type of seat‐of‐the‐pants risk assessment in which judges and parole boards have traditionally engaged. But RAIs bring with them their own set
Protective Factors in Risk Assessment Schemes for Adolescents in Mental Health and Criminal Justice Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of their Predictive Efficacy – 2018-03
The consideration of protective factors has been integrated into a number of instruments whose aim is assess the risk of adverse outcomes among adolescents in high-risk mental health and criminal justice populations; however, little is known about their contribution to
