risk assessment Flashcards
what is violence?
actual/attempted/threatened physical harm of another person
- Verbal aggression – if it causes victim fear of physical safety
- Behaviour cannot be accidental
what is risk?
Risk is the probability or likelihood of a particular event occurring
Risk of:
- Harm to others (general public or specific victim[s])
- Harm to self
- Harm to staff
what are the dimensions of risk?
Nature
Severity
Frequency or probability
Immediacy
what is risk assessment?
Gathering and integrating information for making decisions
The process of identifying risks (presence, relevance)
Usually systematic and purpose-driven
what is risk management?
Taking action to gain or maintain control
The process of mitigating risk
Strategic plan, but dependent on logistics
Why do we need to assess risk?
It informs organisational decision-making: Sentencing Preventative detention (MHA) Security categorisation Cell sharing Parole release Dosage of interventions Risk management in the community
It is the cornerstone of effective case management:
Who is in most need for services?
What level of restriction on the offender’s liberty is the minimum required to manage that risk?
Which services are needed?
What are the implications for victim safety planning?
i.e., Public, Staff and Prisoner safety
Key Role of Forensic Psychologists
how to match level of risk with intensity of treatment?
For low risk offenders it can actually be better to do minimal intervention / withdraw services!!
what did Bonta et al. (2000) find?
Low risk offenders receiving intensive treatment 32% re-offended
Low risk offenders receiving minimal treatment 15% re-offended
what is The Risk Principle (Bonta & Andrews, 2017)?
two aspects:
Criminal behaviour can be predicted
Levels of treatment service should be matched to the offender’s risk level
what is Risk Assessment: Definition (Hart, 1998, p.122)?
The process of evaluating individuals to
(prediction) characterise the likelihood that they will commit acts of violence, and
(prevention) develop interventions to manage or reduce that likelihood
what are the nature of risk factors?
static/historical
dynamic
what are static/historical risk factors?
Offender characteristics that are predictive of re-offending but cannot be changed
Risks
what are dynamic risk factors?
Characteristics of an offender that can be changed by intervention
Non Criminogenic Needs
Criminogenic Needs
what is The Need Principle (Bonta & Andrews, 2017)?
“Many offenders, especially high-risk offenders, have multiple needs. They ‘need’ places to live and work, and/or they ‘need’ to stop taking drugs. Some have poor self-esteem, chronic headaches or cavities in their teeth. These are all needs or problematic circumstances. …. Criminogenic needs are a subset of an offender’s risk level. They are dynamic attributes of an offender that, when changed, are associated with changes in the probability of recidivism. Non-criminogenic needs are also dynamic and changeable, but they are weakly associated with recidivism.” (p.180)
what are the risk assessment approaches?
Actuarial assessment - Rationally or empirically selected static risk items, with empirical-based scoring rules.
Structured professional judgement - Items drawn from research with professional discretion in item weighting.
Risks-needs assessment - Rationally or empirically selected static and dynamic items, with empirical-based scoring rules
Unstructured professional judgement - Professional discretion in item selection and weighting.
