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Attribution theories suggest that when assessing an individual's actions, judgments are made about the cause of these behaviours and often these judgments focus on internal or external causal explanations. The current research investigated the effects of internal and external attribution on the scoring of the HCR-20 and the possibility of differences in scoring between two ways of using the HCR-20 (using the HCR-20 as a worksheet versus checklist). No differences were present in the scoring between the checklist versus worksheet. Attribution effects were present within the Historical Scale, Clinical Scale, and overall scoring of the HCR-20. Ratings were higher within the internal attribution condition than the external one, indicating that judgments made using the HCR-20 are subject to attribution effects in a similar manner as unaided violence risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Psychopathic personality disorder (PPD) has important clinical and forensic implications. But much more effort has been devoted to assessing or diagnosing PPD than to explicating or defining it. In the first part of this paper, we describe the development of a conceptual model or “concept map” of PPD. Based on a systematic review of descriptions of PPD in the clinical and research literature, as well as consultation with subject matter experts, we identified key features of the disorder and translated them into 33 symptoms, presented as natural language (i.e., non-technical) trait descriptive adjectives or adjectival phrases. Each symptom in turn was defined by three synonymous adjectives or adjectival phrases. The 33 symptoms were grouped rationally to reflect six domains of personality functioning. In the second part of the paper, we discuss research completed and in progress intended to validate the CAPP conceptual model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The construct of female psychopathy is poorly understood. Progress in this area is hindered by the reliance on male psychopathy conceptualizations and measurement frameworks, and the failure to establish what the construct looks like in females. Case studies are a fundamental step in the development of a clearer female psychopathy conceptualization, yet one that has been neglected in the literature. This article explores the presentation and manifestation of psychopathic traits in two cases of women offenders with high levels of such traits, using two measures of psychopathy: the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) and the Psychopathy Checklist Screening Version (PCL:SV). Findings are discussed in relation to what is known about psychopathy in women, and in men. Potential implications for clinical practice, including the assessment of psychopathy in women, are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The RSVP is a set of structured professional judgment guidelines for assessing risk of sexual violence. We investigated the interrater reliability (IRR) of judgments made using the RSVP in a multidisciplinary forensic-clinical context. Raters were 28 forensic mental health and intellectual disability professionals with diverse training and experience. They used the RSVP to evaluate six case vignettes that varied with respect to offense characteristics, clinical complexity, and level of risk. The IRR of ratings for individual risk factors was generally fair. There was a good level of interrater reliability on Summary Judgments and Supervision Recommendations. Interrater reliability was highest when used by professionals who were highly trained in forensic risk assessment. On average, professionals with lower levels of specialist training agreed less with their colleagues and experts, and provided higher estimations of sexual violence risk. Lower levels of agreement were found in cases with moderate levels of complexity and risk. The RSVP can be used to make judgments of risk with adequate levels of interrater reliability. However, this is dependent on the training and expertise of professionals who use the tool. Methodological strengths and limitations are considered, followed by a discussion of implications for training, practice, and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackling violence in prisons and forensic institutions is a key role for mental health professionals. Major strides have been made in the last twenty years in the evaluation and management of individual risk factors. However, the understanding of situational-or institutional-risk factors is less well developed. This special section considers PRISM. PRISM is a set of structured professional guidelines for assessing and managing the risk of violence in institutions. In contrast to better known forms of structured judgment approaches the focus of concern is the functioning of the institution, not the individual patient or prisoner. In this introductory paper we describe the development of PRISM, its conceptual and empirical base, and demonstrate and propose a range of applications for the approach. We argue that PRISM can have value in a range of important practical tasks, but also, PRISM can be used to enhance our theoretical understanding of the risk processes that underpin institutional violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRISM: Promoting Risk Intervention by Situational Management (Johnstone & Cooke, 2008) provides a systematic process for evaluating a range of situational risk factors known to influence institutional violence in prisons and secure hospital settings. This paper reports on findings from the first multiple case-study evaluation using this protocol. We applied PRISM in the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). The SPS is a modern prison system. It respects prisoners' human rights, maintains order and control via humane and dignified means, and works towards the rehabilitation of prisoners and reducing reoffending rates overall. The SPS comprises a national headquarters where relevant policies and protocols are derived but governors and senior management teams are based within the local prisons to ensure the effective running of the organisation. While the SPS can boast decreasing rates of serious violence, there are significant variations across sites. We used PRISM to explore the relevance of situational risk factors to understanding these variations. Results suggested that the protocol was a promising paradigm for assessing risk factors unique to each site as well as showing utility for exposing problems related to the national policies and practices. The risk assessment led to a range of risk management interventions being proposed. The implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PRISM (Promoting Risk Interventions by Situational Management) has multiple uses. In this paper we describe case studies that consider, first, the riot and the consequent loss of Glendairy prison in Barbados, and second, the functioning of the temporary prison at Harrison's point created to contain, on a short-term basis, over 1000 prisoners. We analyze the organizational processes that led to the violence at Glendairy and we consider the processes that maintained the high level of violence at Harrison's Point. We conclude by providing recommendations about changes in institutional practice designed to prevent the transmission of the culture of acceptance of violence to the new state-of-the art prison being created. Moving from the practical to the theoretical, we argue that the application of PRISM can promote the understanding of the theoretical processes-risk processes-that operate to increase or decrease the likelihood of violence in institutions, whether prisons or forensic mental health facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]