scholarly journals The Predictive Accuracy of the Violent Offender Treatment Program Risk Assessment Scale

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANN WARD ◽  
JOHN DOCKERILL
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Treatment Program ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Violent Offenders ◽  
Assessment Scale ◽  
Violent Offender ◽  
Offender Treatment ◽  
Cutoff Score

Current methods for screening violent offenders for program eligibility are expensive and time consuming. Developers of the Violent Offender Treatment Program (VOTP) have designed a brief and economical instrument to screen offenders for program eligibility. The present study was undertaken to assess the reliability and predictive accuracy of the VOTP Risk Assessment Scale (RAS). An interrater reliability of 20 court histories attained a mean kappa of .81. The RAS was applied to court histories of 202 violent offenders released between 1985 and 1987. A 10-year follow-up of convictions for violent behavior yielded a 47% base rate. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves showed that for varying time-at-risk periods, the predictive accuracy remained between .72 and .76. The recommended cutoff score for all time-at-risk periods was 11. The relatively high accuracy rate of the VOTP RAS indicated that it was accurate enough to aid program eligibility decisions.

Assessing Dynamic Violence Risk in a High-Risk Treated Sample of Violent Offenders

Assessment ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1886-1900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. A. Coupland ◽  
Mark E. Olver
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Violent Offenders ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Violence Risk Assessment ◽  
Change Scores ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
General Community

The present study featured an investigation of the predictive properties of risk and change scores of two violence risk assessment and treatment planning tools—the Violence Risk Scale (VRS) and the Historical, Clinical, Risk–20, Version 2 (HCR-20)—in sample of 178 treated adult male violent offenders who attended a high-intensity violence reduction program. The cases were rated on the VRS and HCR-20 using archival information sources and followed up nearly 10 years postrelease. Associations of HCR-20 and VRS risk and change scores with postprogram institutional and community recidivism were examined. VRS and HCR-20 scores converged in conceptually meaningful ways, supporting the construct validity of the tools for violence risk. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses demonstrated moderate- to high-predictive accuracy of VRS and HCR-20 scores for violent and general community recidivism, but weaker accuracy for postprogram institutional recidivism. Cox regression survival analyses demonstrated that positive pretreatment and posttreatment changes, as assessed via the HCR-20 and VRS, were each significantly associated with reductions in violent and general community recidivism, as well as serious institutional misconducts, after controlling for baseline pretreatment score. Implications for use of the HCR-20 and VRS for dynamic violence risk assessment and management are discussed.

Prediction of placental pathology during the second trimester of pregnancy using a new risk assessment scale and fetal cardiotocography

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 36-43
Author(s):  
R.S. Zamaleeva ◽  
◽  
N.A. Cherepanova ◽  
A.V. Frizina ◽  
E.Yu. Yupatov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Gestational Hypertension ◽  
Neonatal Morbidity ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Assessment Scale ◽  
Second Trimester ◽  
Placental Pathology ◽  
Perinatal Complications

Objective. Рreclinical prognosis of placental pathology (PP) during the second trimester of pregnancy using a new risk assessment scale and fetal cardiotocography (CTG). Patients and methods. This retrospective study included 264 patients who had undergone risk assessment during the first trimester of pregnancy using the conventional scale followed by reassessment on weeks 12–15 using the new scale. There were 102 women with PP and 162 women with normal pregnancy and delivery. We also performed prospective analysis of CTG results obtained during the second trimester. Results. The calculation of the risk for perinatal complications during the first trimester using the conventional scale demonstrated that 31% of women had PP. After recalculating the risks in the beginning of the second trimester, we found that 90% of women had PP; there was a threefold increase in the accuracy of prognosis. Women with pathological variants of CTG and risk of PP were 1.34 times more likely to have delayed fetal growth, 1.8 times more likely to develop preeclampsia, 2.6 times more likely to have preterm birth, 1.2 times more likely to have gestational hypertension, and 1.75 times more likely to have neonatal morbidity compared to women at risk of PP, but with normal CTG variants during the second trimester. Conclusion. Combination of the new risk assessment scale and CTG during the second trimester helps to identify women at risk of gestational pathology and to find and optimal tactics of their management. Key words: CTG, placental pathology, placental insufficiency, risk scale

New Jersey's Sex Offender Risk Assessment Scale: Preliminary Validity Data

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn E. Ferguson ◽  
Roy J. Eidelson ◽  
Philip H. Witt
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
Assessment Scale ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
Offender Treatment ◽  
Community Notification ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Validity Data

The Registrant Risk Assessment Scale (RRAS) was developed to aid New Jersey law enforcement representatives in assigning convicted sex offenders to risk tier classifications. The three risk tier classifications (low, moderate, and high risk) are linked to corresponding levels of community notification. The present study examined the scores of 574 adult males convicted of sex offenses in New Jersey on the seven RRAS items that assess static indicators of recidivism risk. Based on sentencing decisions, the sample included three groups of offenders: probationers, state prisoners, and those assigned to the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center (ADTC), an inpatient sex offender treatment facility for repetitive and compulsive offenders. An exploratory factor analysis of the RRAS items identified two important orthogonal factors: a forcible assault factor and a sexual deviance factor. One-way ANOVAs revealed significant differences among the three placement groups, with state prisoners tending to score highest on items reflecting antisocial orientation and forcible sexual assault and ADTC offenders scoring highest on items reflecting deviant sexual behavior. A discriminant analysis generated two distinct functions that classified well over half of the sample into their correct sentencing groups. Taken as a whole, the results provide preliminary support for the use of the RRAS in making sex offender risk determinations.

Client Violence

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina E. Newhill
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Risk Markers ◽  
Client Violence ◽  
Biopsychosocial Perspective

Client violence and workplace safety are relevant issues for all social workers across practice settings. This entry addresses why and how social workers may be targets for a client's violent behavior, and what we know about who is at risk of encountering violence. Understanding violence from a biopsychosocial perspective, identifying risk markers associated with violent behavior, and an introduction to guidelines for conducting a risk assessment will be discussed. The entry concludes by identifying and describing some general strategies for the prevention of client violence.

Violent offender treatment in a medium secure unit

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Howden ◽  
Jayde Midgley ◽  
Rebecca Hargate
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Reliable Change Index ◽  
Violent Offender ◽  
Offender Treatment ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Violence Risk Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secure Unit

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a preliminary evaluation of a Violent Offender Treatment Program (VOTP) adapted for use in a medium secure unit (MSU). The patient population is adult male mentally disordered offenders. Design/methodology/approach Patient outcomes are explored using the Reliable Change Index and Clinical Significance Criterion. Outcomes are assessed using VOTP facilitators violence risk assessment (VRS), multi-disciplinary team violence risk assessment (HCR-20 and GAS-V), and patient self-report using two measures (FAVT and STAXI-2). Findings There was evidence of improved outcomes for some participants in some areas related to risk of violence. Research limitations/implications Consideration is given to using varied risk assessments to evaluate outcomes of an adapted VOTP for a MSU. Originality/value There is limited development and evaluation of psychological treatment programmes that aim to reduce risk of violence for male offenders within MSUs. Outcomes of this evaluation could influence treatment delivery and evaluation in other services.

Learning to Pass: Sex Offenders' Strategies for Establishing a Viable Identity in the Prison General Population

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 614-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Schwaebe
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
General Population ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Treatment Program ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
Offender Treatment ◽  
Sex Offender Treatment ◽  
Prison Life ◽  
Treatment Context

This article endeavors to illustrate the realities of prison life for sex offenders and the means by which they attempt to establish viable identities and acquire a survivable niche in the prison general population, particularly when established identities and protective niches are put at risk by entry into a sex offender treatment program. Qualitative data was collected by repeatedly interviewing a cohort of sex offenders for 6 months as they completed a basic sex offender treatment program. The findings indicate a need to include consideration of treatment context in understanding the limits of treatment gain in prison-based programs.

Phonological Awareness Screening to Identify At-Risk Readers

1998 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margie Gilbertson ◽  
Ronald K. Bramlett
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
At Risk Students ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Standardized Assessments ◽  
Cutoff Score ◽  
Invented Spelling ◽  
Reading Measures

The purpose of this study was to investigate informal phonological awareness measures as predictors of first-grade broad reading ability. Subjects were 91 former Head Start students who were administered standardized assessments of cognitive ability and receptive vocabulary, and informal phonological awareness measures during kindergarten and early first grade. Regression analyses indicated that three phonological awareness tasks, Invented Spelling, Categorization, and Blending, were the most predictive of standardized reading measures obtained at the end of first grade. Discriminant analyses indicated that these three phonological awareness tasks correctly identified at-risk students with 92% accuracy. Clinical use of a cutoff score for these measures is suggested, along with general intervention guidelines for practicing clinicians.

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