scholarly journals Assessment and treatment of violence-prone forensic clients: an integrated approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (S49) ◽  
pp. s66-s74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C. P. Wong ◽  
Audrey Gordon ◽  
Deqiang Gu
Keyword(s):  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Outcome Evaluation ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Violence Reduction ◽  
Treatment Readiness ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Risk Need Responsivity ◽  
Forensic Clients

BackgroundA risk-reduction treatment programme complemented by a focused assessment, both guided by the risk–need–responsivity principles, is suggested as the preferred treatment for violence-prone individuals with personality disorder.AimsViolence Reduction Programme (VRP) and Violence Risk Scale (VRS) were used to illustrate the design and implementation of such an approach. Participants from a similarly designed Aggressive Behaviour Control Programme were used to illustrate the principles discussed and to test programme efficacy.MethodThe VRS was used to assess risk/need and treatment readiness, and DSM–III/IV psychiatric diagnoses of 203 federal offenders.ResultsParticipants had a high probability of violent recidivism and many violence-linked criminogenic needs, similar to offenders with high PCL–R scores. Most had antisocial personality disorder and substance use disorders; in terms of treatment-readiness, most were in the contemplation stage of change. Outcome evaluation results support the objectives of the VRP.ConclusionsIntegrating risk–need–responsivity principles in assessment and treatment can provide useful guidelines for intervention with violence-prone forensic clients with personality disorder.

Investigating Characteristics of the Nonrecidivating Psychopathic Offender

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1741-1760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant N. Burt ◽  
Mark E. Olver ◽  
Stephen C. P. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Community Support ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Violence Reduction ◽  
Psychopathy Checklist ◽  
Violent Offense ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Psychopathy Checklist Revised ◽  
Hare Psychopathy Checklist ◽  
Post Hoc

Psychopathic offenders are at higher risk to violently reoffend than nonpsychopathic offenders; however, about one in four psychopathic offenders are not reconvicted for a violent offense even over extended follow-ups. The characteristics of nonrecidivating psychopathic offenders (NRPs) remain underexamined. In a sample of 123 offenders with a minimum Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) score of 25, community follow-up of 5 years, and 4 months in a violence reduction program, 65 men receiving a violent conviction within 5 years (recidivating psychopathic offenders [RPs]) were compared with 58 who had not (NRPs). Comparatively, NRPs were older at release, had better community support, and were rated lower violence risk. NRPs also had significantly lower PCL-R Factor 2 scores, but higher Factor 1 scores. Post hoc analyses revealed prominent NRP characteristics included exploitative personality traits and a predilection for instrumentally violent crimes. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the risk assessment and treatment of psychopathic offenders.

Risk-Need-Responsivity Meets Mental Health: Implementation Challenges in Probation Case Planning

2021 ◽  
pp. 009385482110084
Author(s):  
Gina M. Vincent ◽  
Rachael T. Perrault ◽  
Dara C. Drawbridge ◽  
Gretchen O. Landry ◽  
Thomas Grisso
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Probation Officers ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Implementation Effort ◽  
Case Planning ◽  
Risk Need Responsivity

This study examined the feasibility of and fidelity to risk/needs assessment, mental health screening, and risk-need-responsivity (RNR)-based case planning within juvenile probation in two states. The researcher-guided implementation effort included the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2), Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), and policies to prioritize criminogenic needs while using mental health services only when warranted. Data from 53 probation officers (POs) and 553 youths indicated three of five offices had high fidelity to administration and case planning policies. The interrater reliability ( n = 85; intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC][A, 1] = .92 [Northern state] and .80 [Southern state]) and predictive validity ( n = 455; Exp[B] = 1.83) of SAVRY risk ratings were significant. There was an overreliance on mental health services; 48% of youth received these referrals when only 20% screened as having mental health needs. Barriers to fidelity to RNR practices in some offices included assessments not being conducted before disposition, lack of service availability, and limited buy-in from a few stakeholders.

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.

Convergent and Predictive Associations of Three Measures of Pedophilic Interest

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 107906322096804
Author(s):  
Ian V. McPhail ◽  
Mark E. Olver ◽  
Terry P. Nicholaichuk ◽  
Andy Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Test Scores ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Sexual Deviance ◽  
Sexual Recidivism ◽  
Violence Reduction ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Moderate Relationship ◽  
Risk Scale ◽  
Static Risk

Pedophilic interest is a central risk factor for sexual offending against children. Multiple measures exist to assess pedophilic interest, and the present study aims to provide validity evidence for three of these measures in a sample of men convicted of sexual offenses. The association between a phallometric test for pedophilic interest, the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interest (SSPI), and the sexual deviance factor of the Violence Risk Scale–Sexual Offense (VRS-SO) version was examined in a sample of 261 men who participated in sexual violence reduction services. The association between these measures and sexual recidivism, both as sole predictors and while controlling for static risk, was also assessed. The second aim of the study was to examine the validity of different methods for modeling the distribution of pedophilic interests, using phallometric test scores, based on the findings in recent taxometric research. The measures generally showed a positive and moderate relationship with each other and predicted sexual recidivism. However, the SSPI did not significantly predict sexual recidivism, and when controlling for static risk, only the VRS-SO Sexual Deviance factor significantly predicted this outcome. Modeling phallometric test scores continuously and trichotomously produced significant associations with sexual recidivism; however, only a trichotomous model with two levels remained predictive after controlling for static risk. The results are broadly supportive of measures of pedophilic interest and underscore the importance of appropriately modeling the latent structure of pedophilic interest.

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