Security Threat Management in Prison: Revalidation and Revision of the Inmate Risk Assessment for Segregation Placement

Prison officials often rely on restrictive housing to promote institutional safety and security. However, a growing body of research indicates this type of confinement has little impact on inmate behavior or institutional order. An alternative approach involves providing the most dangerous and disruptive inmates with increased case management services and other proactive programmatic opportunities. The success of this strategy requires an ability to prospectively and accurately identify the most problematic inmates. The results of this study indicate that Risk Assessment for Segregation Placement (RASP) and its revised Oregon version (RASP-OR) are valid predictors of segregation placement and institutional misconduct. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.

The reliability and validity of the SAPROF among forensic mental health patients

Assessing and managing level of risk among forensic mental health patients is a primary role of clinical forensic psychologists. Forensic assessments are focused on risk factors and deficits, whereas patient strengths and protective factors are either partially included or overlooked altogether by forensic psychologists. As a result, less is known about protective factors in general and how they may serve to inform risk management practices. The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk (SAPROF) is the first tool to exclusively rely on protective factors and was investigated for the current study. The psychometric properties of the SAPROF were examined using a sample of 50 Canadian patients found Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) at a psychiatric hospital using both file information and semi-structured interviews. Outcome variables included risk management decisions (change in privilege level and security level) and indicators of recidivism (psychiatric medication administration, institutional misconduct and disposition breaches). The study found some evidence for intrarater and interrater reliability, construct validity, predictive validity and incremental predictive validity. The SAPROF approached significance for adding incremental predictive validity to the HCR-20 V3, a measure of violence risk, for disposition breaches and institutional misconduct, and effect sizes doubled. Given that the addition of the SAPROF increased the accuracy of the violence risk assessment, there are considerable implications for informing clinical practice. Implications for risk assessment, treatment planning, intervention and risk management decisions implemented by review boards and clinical practitioners are discussed. It is recommended that the SAPROF be added as an adjunct measure to risk assessment batteries and included in hospital reports, given that it predicted several patient behaviours.

The reliability and validity of the SAPROF among forensic mental health patients

Assessing and managing level of risk among forensic mental health patients is a primary role of clinical forensic psychologists. Forensic assessments are focused on risk factors and deficits, whereas patient strengths and protective factors are either partially included or overlooked altogether by forensic psychologists. As a result, less is known about protective factors in general and how they may serve to inform risk management practices. The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk (SAPROF) is the first tool to exclusively rely on protective factors and was investigated for the current study. The psychometric properties of the SAPROF were examined using a sample of 50 Canadian patients found Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) at a psychiatric hospital using both file information and semi-structured interviews. Outcome variables included risk management decisions (change in privilege level and security level) and indicators of recidivism (psychiatric medication administration, institutional misconduct and disposition breaches). The study found some evidence for intrarater and interrater reliability, construct validity, predictive validity and incremental predictive validity. The SAPROF approached significance for adding incremental predictive validity to the HCR-20 V3, a measure of violence risk, for disposition breaches and institutional misconduct, and effect sizes doubled. Given that the addition of the SAPROF increased the accuracy of the violence risk assessment, there are considerable implications for informing clinical practice. Implications for risk assessment, treatment planning, intervention and risk management decisions implemented by review boards and clinical practitioners are discussed. It is recommended that the SAPROF be added as an adjunct measure to risk assessment batteries and included in hospital reports, given that it predicted several patient behaviours.

Interpersonal Violence and Institutional Misconduct in the Los Angeles County Jail System: A Mixed Method Investigation

This study involved a mixed method evaluation of interpersonal violence and institutional misconduct in the Los Angeles county jail system. Interviews with 52 correctional staff uncovered a widely shared belief that AB 109, Prop 47, and the Rosas decision had all contributed to an increase in violence and misconduct in the jail. Analysis of administrative records indicated there was a rise in the monthly rates of these adverse outcomes from 2010 to 2017. Intervention ARIMA models, however, revealed evidence of a statistically significant increase following only the passage of Prop 47. An examination of inmate characteristics across the 8-year observation period confirmed staff suspicions that jail incarcerates with more extensive criminal histories were being confined following the passage of these policies. If jails are to be responsible for confining higher risk inmates, provisions should also be made to increase the availability of evidence-based rehabilitative programming and other treatment services that can help combat the occurrence of these adverse outcomes.

Influence of Race in the Deep End of the Juvenile Justice System

Racial inequalities pervade U.S. justice systems and are the focus of a growing body of research. However, there are fewer studies on racial disparities in juvenile justice settings, particularly on decisions points at the “deep end” of the system after youth have been adjudicated delinquent. The current study examines racial disparities in length of stay, institutional misconduct, and community program placement for youth admitted to the Virginia juvenile justice system from 2012–2017. We find that black youth have significantly longer lengths of stay and more serious institutional misconduct than white youth. Controlling for legal and extralegal factors eliminates the disparity for length of stay, but it remains significant for serious institutional misconduct. In recent years, youth of all races are placed into community programs rather than traditional correctional centers at similar rates. Disparities for Hispanic youth and other races are difficult to distinguish because few are admitted to the system.

Juvenile Institutional Misconduct: Examining the Role of Educational Attainment and Academic Achievement

Identifying risk factors of institutional misconduct among juvenile offenders is important in curbing costs and consequences of these infractions. Research shows low educational attainment and poor academic achievement are consistently related to delinquency and crime. Yet, no research has examined whether these educational variables are associated with institutional misconduct among juveniles. Official records and interviews yielded information on the educational characteristics and institutional misconduct of 349 juvenile prisoners in a California facility. Negative binomial regression analysis was employed to examine hypothesized relationships. Results indicate that graduating high school significantly predicts institutional misconduct. Implications for juvenile corrections policies, including the importance of assisting juvenile detainees in obtaining their high school diploma, and directions for future research are provided.