This compact reference makes the case for a middle ground between clinical and actuarial methods in predicting future violence, domestic violence, and sexual offending. It critiques widely used measures such as the PCL-R, VRAG, SORAG, and Static-99 in terms of clarity of scoring, need for clinical interpretation, and potential weight in assessing individuals. Appropriate standards of practice are illustrated--and questioned--based on significant legal cases, among them Tarasoff v.Regents of the State of California and Lipari v. Sears, that have long defined the field. This expert coverage helps make sense of the pertinent issues and controversies surrounding risk assessment as it provides readers with invaluable information in these and other key areas:
Risk Assessment offers its readers--professionals working with sex offenders as well as those working with the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide and Sex Offender Appraisal Guide--new possibilities for rethinking the assessment strategies of their trade toward predicting and preventing violent criminal incidents.
- The history of violence prediction.
- Commonly used assessment instruments with their strengths and limitations.
- Psychological risk factors, both actual and questionable.
- Clinical lessons learned from instructive court cases, from Tarasoff forward.
- Implications for treatment providers.
- How more specialized risk assessment measures may be developed.
Risk Assessment offers its readers--professionals working with sex offenders as well as those working with the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide and Sex Offender Appraisal Guide--new possibilities for rethinking the assessment strategies of their trade toward predicting and preventing violent criminal incidents.
"The book offers a useful resource for individuals wanting to develop basic knowledge about the topic. Students in the fields of law and mental health and other professionals new to the specialized field of violence risk assessment should find the comprehensive review of case law in the clinical practice section highly informative." (Laura S. Guy, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol . 60 (45), November, 2015)