Threat assessment in law enforcement: advances in the appraisal and management of violence risk by police

2022 ◽  
pp. 313-335
Author(s):  
Caroline Logan
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Violence Risk

International Legal Perspectives on Threat Assessment

2021 ◽  
pp. 345-359
Author(s):  
Kris Mohandie ◽  
Jens Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Red Flag ◽  
Threat Management ◽  
Evolving Context ◽  
Risk Protection ◽  
Legislative Changes

Threat assessment and threat management occur within the evolving context of legal issues that both enhance and restrict threat investigation and intervention activities. Legal issues affecting threat management practice in Europe and the United States include criminal code statutes and case law that define relevant crimes such as stalking, criminal threats, domestic violence, and other violent crimes that fall within the purview of threat assessors. Additional issues include civil commitment procedures such as involuntary hospitalization, as well as bail and probation conditions. New developments in threat management–related laws are usually precipitated by tragedy and violence. Most recently, in the United States, this led to red flag laws and Extreme Risk Protection Orders in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in 2018. Similarly, in Germany, the suicide of a stalking victim has resulted in greater sensitivity by the legal system to victim impact in stalking cases. Red flag law preliminary research data related to threat reduction have been promising, and ideally the impact of legislative changes in multiple threat management contexts on victim safety should continue to be assessed so that evidence informs violence risk legal responses.

Threat Triage

2021 ◽  
pp. 507-521
Author(s):  
Sharon S. Smith ◽  
Michael D. Young
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Model ◽  
Predictive Factors ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Initial Evaluation ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
The Relationship

A significant minority of threateners stalk, approach, or become violent after threatening. Violence risk and threat assessment have traditionally relied on evaluating the threatener’s behavior, disposition, and membership in violent groups. However, the identity of the threatener is often unknown, and the assessor must make an initial evaluation using only the language in the threat. By combining predictive factors and their ratios to one another, our predictive model can assess linguistic characteristics of the threat without any information about the threatener, the target, or the relationship between the two. This model assesses predatory thinking, which has a strong relationship with eventual action. The language in both single threat cases and the first threats in cases with multiple threats can be used to promptly assess the likelihood that a threatener will act, enabling assessors to effectively manage cases and mitigate harm.

Evaluation of a Violence Risk (Threat) Assessment Training Program for Police and Other Criminal Justice Professionals

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 554-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Storey ◽  
Andrea L. Gibas ◽  
Kim A. Reeves ◽  
Stephen D. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Case Vignette ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Violence Risk Assessment ◽  
Assessment Training ◽  
Criminal Justice Professionals

Although a great deal of research has focused on the development and validation of violence risk (threat) assessment instruments, few studies have examined whether professionals can be trained to use these instruments. The present study evaluated the impact of a violence risk assessment training program on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of 73 criminal justice professionals, including police officers, civilian support staff, and prosecutors. The program covered principles of violence risk assessment, the nature of mental disorder and its association with violence risk, and the use of various structured professional judgment (SPJ) risk assessment instruments. Comparisons of pre- and post-training evaluations indicated significant improvements on measures of knowledge about risk assessment, skills in the analysis of risk in a case vignette, and perceived confidence in conducting violence risk assessments. Findings support the utility of risk assessment training for criminal justice professionals and the utility of SPJ violence risk assessment instruments generally.

Threat Assessment and Law Enforcement Practice

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-68
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Harris ◽  
Arthur J. Lurigio
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Threat Assessment

Domestic Violence Risk Assessment

2021 ◽  
pp. 488-506
Author(s):  
Liam Ennis ◽  
N. Zoe Hilton
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Threat Management ◽  
Domestic Violence Risk Assessment

Many cases referred for threat assessment involve intimate partner violence (IPV). As a form of targeted violence, IPV fits the preventative focus of the threat assessment model. However, heterogeneity of IPV offender profiles, the personal nature of the relationship between aggressor and target, and concern for a diverse range of undesirable but relatively probable outcomes present distinct challenges to effective threat management. In this chapter, the authors offer a theoretically grounded and empirically informed framework for evaluating and managing threats to intimate partners. They describe empirically validated IPV risk assessment tools, and outline an approach to IPV threat assessment using the guiding principles of risk, need, and responsivity; such guidelines emphasize communication and collaboration with the threat management team and third parties, including the victim, and include perpetrator controls that attend to the perpetrator’s criminogenic needs. The authors also discuss victim safety issues and potential situational risk factors applying to IPV cases.

scholarly journals Ideology and Threat Assessment: Law Enforcement Evaluation of Muslim and Right-Wing Extremism

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 237802311770477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Kurzman ◽  
Ahsan Kamal ◽  
Hajar Yazdiha
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Political Attitudes ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Muslim Americans ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Violent Extremism

Does ideology affect assessment of the threat of violent extremism? A survey of law enforcement agencies in the United States in 2014 offers a comparison suggesting a small but statistically significant effect: Political attitudes were correlated with assessment of threats posed by Muslim extremists, and threat assessment was not correlated with the number of Muslim Americans who had engaged in violent extremism within the agency’s jurisdiction. By contrast, the perceived threat of right-wing terrorism was correlated with the number of incidents of right-wing violence and not with political attitudes. These findings reflect the context of growing polarization of attitudes toward Muslims in the United States as well as the challenge of bringing counterterrorism policies into proportion with the actual scale of violent extremism.

Evaluating and Managing the Risk of Violence in Clinical Practice with Adults

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Murrie ◽  
Sharon Kelley
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Forensic Psychology ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Violence Risk Assessment ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Risk Assessment And Management

Although concerns about violence risk emerge regularly in routine clinical practice, many clinicians feel underprepared to assess and manage violence risk. One problem is that the rich knowledge base underlying violence risk assessment has largely remained in the specialties of forensic psychology and psychiatry, where it has been less familiar to clinicians in general practice. In this chapter we review the legal and ethical parameters that guide clinician appraisals of violence risk, and then we summarize the foundational knowledge and techniques—from both the forensic psychology approach and the emerging field of threat assessment. By integrating basic knowledge and practices from these specialized disciplines, clinicians can more comfortably incorporate violence risk assessment and management into their routine care for patients, better infuse risk assessment into the start of treatment, monitor risk over the course of treatment, and respond appropriately to any threats of violence that emerge.

Violence Risk and Threat Assessment

2020 ◽  
pp. 83-112
Author(s):  
Kirk Heilbrun ◽  
Victoria Pietruszka ◽  
Jennica Janssen ◽  
Keisha April
Keyword(s):  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Violence Risk
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document