Offender Risk Assessment Flashcards
What is the risk principle?
Concerned with the dosage of programming.
What is the need principle?
Determines the treatment targets interventions should intervene upon. Proposes that to reduce recidivism, interventions should target only those needs (or risk factors) that contribute to offending behaviour (criminogenic needs)
What is the responsivity principle?
Concerned with how the intervention is delivered. States that the more effective programmes are those which successfully match the style and methods of delivery to the learning styles of the offender.
Is risk assessment of offenders different to normal risk assessment?
No. Risk assessment with offender management operates the same way as it would within other fields, i.e insurance.
What is a risk assessment?
Information about offenders and their circumstances is collated in order to reach a judgement about their likely future behaviour. May be how likely an offender is to reoffend or cause harm to others.
What is a clinical risk assessment?
Clinical assessment involves observation and collecting information regarding the offender. The clinician utilises the information, alongside their experience and training in order to formulate the risk prediction.
What is actuarial risk assessment?
Typically use algorithms or equations to generate risk scores from specific items of informations.
There is a long standing debate about which method is favourable. It is now generally accepted, after Grove & Meehl (1996) did a meta-analysis that actuarial is preferred.
What are risk assessments used for?
Often administered prior to sentencing. E.g. risk to others, risk of reoffending.
May be used for sentence plans, parole decisions, risk management plans within the community.
What is “OGRS”?
The Offender Group Reconviction Scale (Copas & Marshall, 1998)
Purely actuarial risk of reconviction instrument, calculates from a small number of criminal history and demographic items, the probability that an offender will be reconvicted within 2 years. Produces a score between 0 and 100.
Strength - it is practical as it is quick and easy.
Weakness - it has been criticised for only taking into account static and historical criminal history, not dynamic social and behavioural factors.
What is the LSI-R?
Level of Service Inventory-Revised (Andrews & Bonta, 1995)
54 item risk and need assessment tool. Provides an assessment of the risk of reoffending and the needs of the offender. Comprises of both static and dynamic factors.
Hollin and Palmer (2003) describe is as “effective and efficient”
3rd Generation
What is the OASys?
The Offender Assessment System.
Ambitious development.
Risk and needs assessment tool.
Used across prison and probation.
Can be done manually but is often used electronically, through file review and offender interviews utilising static and dynamic risk factors. A structured clinical assessment tool.
Criticism - takes time to complete (2.5 hours compared to LSI-R which can take 10 minutes)
Strength - richness of data
- offenders can complete self assessment
What is the HCR-20?
Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20 (Webster et al., 1997)
Risk assessment that incorporates clinical judgement to assess future violent behaviour.
20 items: 10 historical, 5 clinical, 5 risk management factors.
Example of a structured clinical judgement
What is the SARN?
Structured Assessment of Risks and Need (Thornton, 2000)
Initially measures static risk through the use of an actuarial risk tool.
- Provides initial risk assessment through evaluation of the number of sex offence sentences, number of criminal offences, offender’s age on release.
- Considers presence of aggravating factors and adjusts the initial assessed risk level if needed.
What are the main three group interventions used in prisons across England and Wales?
R&R
Think First
Enhanced Thinking Skills
Discuss the R&R programme.
The reasoning and rehabilitation programme has been implemented in 17 different countries.
38, two-hour sessions.
Promotes the acquisition and rehearsal of new skills: interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills, social skills, self-control, emotional management, creative thinking, critical reasoning, values enhancement.
Tutoring and interactive learning.
Role plays, guided discussions, group exercises, small group work.
Higher risk offenders.
Discuss the Enhanced Thinking Skills programme.
Designed to compliment the R&R and be suitable for low risk offenders.
Focuses on provision of interpersonal problem solving, social, moral reasoning skills through interactive programme delivery. Promotes pro-social modelling.
Discuss the Think First programme.
(McGuire, 2000)
Different because although it focuses on interpersonal problem solving, social, moral skills, cognitive skills etc. It focuses on the offence.
Allows the offender to focus on own offending behaviour and modify behaviour.
Break down their offences and analyse in detail what happened, who was involved, when, where, why.
Create avoidance strategies.
Community based (22 x 2 hour group sessions) and Prison based (30 x 2 hour group sessions)
Are the three programmes effective?
A national evaluation of all three programmes (within community) concluded that all three produced significant reductions in reconviction amongst programme-completer groups compared to control.
What is a disorganised offender?
Characterised as committing a:
sudden unforeseen attack
without needs for restraints
minimal attempt to hide the victim
What is an organised offender?
Shows evidence of:
having planned the crime
selecting stranger victim
control over the victim and events
Can sadists/psychopaths be cured?
No convincing evidence that their personalities can be treated and eradicated. Can be ‘cured’ but seems to reappear when released.
Should low risk offenders receive the same interventions as high risk?
For low risk offenders, it can actually be beneficial to give less treatment or even none!
Bonta et al (2000)
- low risk offenders receiving intensive treatment - 32% reoffend
- low risk offenders receiving intensive treatment - 15% reoffend
Name some possible risk factors to include in a risk assessment?
age gender poor housing / neighbourhood victimised as child offence history employment substance abuse anti-social attitudes deviant peers mental illness self esteem empathy
What are the advantages and disadvantages of unstructured clinical judgement?
Advantage
- flexible
- individual focussed
- useful for prevention
Disadvantage
- poor consistency between evaluators
- variable accuracy
- potential reliance on irrelevant risk factors
