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In recent decades the practice of violence risk assessment and use of violence risk assessment instruments has become widespread in the criminal justice system. How are courts reacting to these developments? Herein the findings of a survey of Canadian case law are reported. Using Quick Law 35 cases were systematically identified in which judges commented on expert evidence regarding violence risk. Judicial comments were summarized with respect to evaluator qualifications, assessment procedures used, and presentation of findings and opinions. Findings indicate a wide variety of judicial preferences including the skill and knowledge of the evaluator, the type of information used, the description of findings and procedures, and the applicability of legal rules. Although potentially useful to evaluators caution is urged regarding the incorporation of some judicial preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HCR-20 is widely used to assess risk of violence among patients with schizophrenia. Further understanding of the accuracy and changes over time in C and R scores is needed. Using prospectively collected data on 248 men with schizophrenia, the present study found that the HCR-20 significantly predicted aggressive behavior over 24 months. The H, C, R, HCR-20 total, and final risk judgment scores were unable to predict aggressive behavior better than chance among the general psychiatric patients in the first six months after discharge. Changes in three C items, the total R score, and in three R items significantly predicted changes in aggressive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 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]

To explore critical issues in the conceptualization and assessment of adolescent psychopathy, we report on the use of the Youth Version of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL:YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003) and the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Institutional Rating Scale (CAPP-IRS; Cooke, Hart, Logan, & Michie, 2004)—both derived from procedures for assessing psychopathy in adulthood—to assess two incarcerated youth identified by clinical staff as demonstrating features of adolescent psychopathy. Consistent with the views of clinical staff, the PCL:YV and CAPP-IRS ratings indicated the presence of serious psychopathy-related personality disturbance in both cases. The PCL:YV and CAPP-IRS also revealed between-case differences in the specific nature or features of personality disturbance present, despite similarities in the overall level or severity of personality disturbance. Raters found it was relatively easy to administer the PCL:YV and the CAPP-IRS, although they identified some challenges, particularly with respect to the assessment of disturbance of self functions. Relative to the PCL:YV, which may be considered the gold standard for assessing the PCL:YV, the CAPP-IRS had some strengths and limitations. We discuss these findings in light of the literature on assessment of adolescent psychopathy and consider their implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable debate about the assessment of psychopathic traits in adolescence due in part to questions regarding the stability of traits. We investigated the 6-month stability of psychopathic traits in a sample of 83 male adolescent offenders using an augmented protocol for the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version and the self-report Antisocial Process Screening Device. Findings suggested moderate to high stability of psychopathic traits, as indexed by total scores, and low to moderate stability of psychopathic traits at the factor level. The interpersonal and behavioral traits demonstrated greater stability relative to the affective traits, and stability varied by developmental stage, with lower stability in early adolescence. Implications for understanding the developmental expression of psychopathic traits in adolescence, as well as for clinical-forensic practice, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although psychopathic offenders frequently lie and manipulate others, it is unclear what strategies they use and whether there are differences between psychopathic and non-psychopathic offenders. The present study examined the association between psychopathy and verbal indicators of deception in a sample of 45 adult male offenders. Verbal indicators of deception were assessed using Statement Validity Assessment (SVA). Psychopathic offenders provided more appropriate detail and spontaneous corrections when lying. In addition, interpersonal symptoms of psychopathy were associated with the perceived credibility of lies. Although offering limited support for SVA in a forensic context, the findings suggest that it may be necessary to attend to unique indicators of deception in psychopathic offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer review is a process often viewed as critical to the advancement of science. But, as Norman Poythress and John Petrila make clear in the lead article of this issue of the International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, it is a process that can go awry. They discuss a dispute that arose concerning publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal, the consequences of which included, certainly, a major delay in publication of the article; probably, an extra round of reviews and required revisions that were unwarranted; and, quite possibly, a chilling effect on research in the field. In this Editorial, I reflect on Poythress and Petrila's cautionary tale and its relevance for the journal's editorial policies and procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on several transitions in the "International Journal of Forensic Mental Health" (IJFMH). It discusses the ScholarOne Manuscripts, the new system for online manuscript submission and reviewing scheme to be implemented by the journal starting August 1, 2010. It also mentions several transformations involving the journal including Steve Hart as the journal's new editor, the move to publication Routledge/Taylor & Francis, and the increase to four issues annually.