Sexual violence is a serious societal issue that is associated with victims experiencing a wide range of psychological difficulties. The proper assessment of risk for future sexual violence is critical to the treatment and management of sexual offenders. The Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP; Hart et al., 2003) is a set of structured professional guidelines for assessing risk for sexual violence that provides a framework for estimating future risk as well as clinical formulation for treatment and management needs. To date, there has been very little research published on the RSVP even though it is currently being used by forensic professionals (Judge, Quayle, O'Rourke, Russell, & Darjee, 2014). This study examined the psychometric properties of the RSVP vis-à-vis the Sexual Violence Risk-20 (SVR-20; Boer, Hart, Kropp, & Webster, 1997), which is considered a parallel form of the RSVP given the similarity in content between these two sets of structured professional judgement guidelines. This study also examined the psychometric properties of the RSVP vis-à-vis a number of actuarial risk assessment instruments: the Static-99R (Helmus, Thornton, Hanson, & Babchishin, 2012), the Static- 2002R (Helmus et al., 2012), and the Sexual Offender Risk Appraisal Guide (SORAG; Quinsey, Harris, Rice, & Cormier, 1998, 2006; Harris, Rice, Quinsey, & Cormier, 2015). The sample consisted of 100 adult male sexual offenders who had participated in a sex offender treatment program. Sexual recidivism was coded over the follow-up period of approximately 10 years. Overall, the RSVP performed well in terms of interrater reliability, concurrent validity, and predictive validity. The interrater reliability of RSVP total scores and Summary Risk ratings was excellent (ICC2 range = .85 to .96) and was comparable with the interrater reliability of the SVR-20 and actuarial instruments. The RSVP total scores and Case Prioritization ratings demonstrated good concurrent validity with respect to SVR-20 total and domain scores and with the actuarial instruments' total scores and risk categories, correlations all significant at p

A comprehensive guide to the theory, research and practice of violence risk management The Wiley Handbook of What Works in Violence Risk Management: Theory, Research and Practice offers a comprehensive guide to the theory, research and practice of violence risk management. With contributions from a panel of noted international experts, the book explores the most recent advances to the theoretical understanding, assessment and management of violent behavior. Designed to be an accessible resource, the highly readable chapters address common issues associated with violent behavior such as alcohol misuse and the less common issues for example offenders with intellectual disabilities. Written for both those new to the field and professionals with years of experience, the book offers a wide-ranging review of who commit acts of violence, their prevalence in society and the most recent explanations for their behavior. The contributors explore various assessment approaches and highlight specialized risk assessment instruments. The Handbook provides the latest evidence on effective treatment and risk management and includes a number of well-established and effective treatment interventions for violent offenders. This important book: Contains an authoritative and comprehensive guide to the topic Includes contributions from an international panel of experts Offers information on violence risk formulation Reveals the most recent techniques in violence risk assessment Explains what works in violence intervention Reviews specialty clinical assessments Written for clinicians and other professionals in the field of violence prevention and assessment, The Wiley Handbook of What Works in Violence Risk Management is unique in its approach because it offers a comprehensive review of the topic rather than like other books on the market that take a narrower view.

Sexual violence represents an intrusion of personal boundaries that can be physically and psychologically traumatic for the victim. Assessing risk for sexual violence is an important process that can have serious consequences for the public (e.g., risk to public safety) and the individual assessed (e.g., indefinite commitment). Given the serious potential consequences, it is vital that assessments are conducted using empirically supported risk assessment measures. The Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP; Hart, et al., 2003) is a measure to guide sexual violence risk assessments. The RSVP provides a framework for case formulation, a process that gathers diverse case-specific information to guide decision-making. Formulation is an essential element of risk assessment, but has been neglected in research. The current study added to the literature base supporting the RSVP and addressed the gap in the literature concerning formulation. First, reliability of presence, relevance and summary risk judgments was examined. Second, the similarity of formulations made by different raters for the same cases was compared to that of formulations made by different raters for different cases. Seventeen professionals completed an online risk assessment course on the administration of the RSVP and completed file-based RSVP assessments for six of ten cases. Rater agreement for presence and relevance ratings and summary judgments was poor to fair, whereas agreement for domain and total scores was fair to good. Similarity ratings (made by independent judges) for randomly selected pairs of formulations made by different raters for the same cases were significantly higher than those made by different raters for different cases. This was true for both global ratings of formulation similarity (i.e., causes of past sexual violence, scenarios of future sexual violence, recommended management strategies), as well as specific facets of formulations similarity (e.g., identification of motivating, disinhibiting, and destabilizing risk factors in past sexual violence; nature, severity of future sexual violence; monitoring, supervision, treatment, and victim safety planning tactics). The findings provide evidence that formulations of violence risk are consistent or similar across raters. Findings are discussed in the context of risk assessment practice, directions for risk assessment training, and future research.

This comprehensive handbook of original chapters consolidates what is known about contemporary risk assessment instruments and serves as a resource for legal, correctional, and mental health professionals. Two introductory chapters cover general issues in violence risk evaluation, while the remainder of the book offers a comprehensive discussion of specific risk assessment measures. Each chapter is prepared by the author(s) of the assessment tool under discussion and helps readers to determine whether and how to use the instruments covered in the book.

Assessing Risk in Sex Offenders: A Practitioner's Guide is a handy resource for forensic practitioners responsible for assessing an managing sexual offenders at risk of recidivism. It covers the risk factors associated with sexual recidivism, evaluates risk assessment approaches and offers guidance on how to conduct forensic evaluations. Written by an expert author team, Assessing risk in Sex Offenders: A Practitioner's Guide examines: The characteristics of sexual offenders Methodological considerations in measuring predictive accuracy Static and dynamic factors Structured risk assessments Treatment of sexual offenders Policy and practices Assessing Risk in Sex Offenders: A Practitioner's Guide is an essential resource for clinical and forensic psychologists, forensic psychiatrists, undergraduate and postgraduate students in forensic and clinical psychology, and prison and probation officers.

Background: The RSVP (Risk of Sexual Violence Protocol; Hart et al, 2003) is a structured professional judgement tool for assessing risk of sexual violence. Despite being widely used in forensic mental health settings, the reliability and validity of the RSVP has not been adequately established. There is an urgent need to investigate the inter-rater reliability of the tool in a multi-disciplinary clinical context. Method: Clinicians (n=28) with varying professions, levels of experience and training, used the RSVP to evaluate six case vignettes with varying offence characteristics, clinical-complexity and risk. ICC (Intra-class Correlation Coefficient) and percentage agreement statistics were used to evaluate inter-rater reliability of RSVP items, domains and steps. Items included additional forced-choice judgements relating to Scenario Planning and Case Management steps. Clinician responses were also compared to?gold-standard? judgements developed by experts in the field of forensic risk assessment. Results: Inter-rater reliability was?fair? overall with individual items ranging from?poor? to?excellent?. Importantly, there was a?good? level of inter-rater reliability on Summary Judgements and Supervision Recommendations. Inter-rater 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. Conclusions: The RSVP can be used to attain adequate levels of inter-rater reliability. However this is dependant 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.

This comprehensive Handbook of original chapters serves as a resource for clinicians and researchers alike. Two introductory chapters cover general issues in violence risk assessment, while the remainder of the book offers a comprehensive discussion of specific risk assessment measures. Forensic psychology practitioners, mental health professionals who deal with the criminal justice system, and legal professionals working with violent offenders will find the Handbook of Violence Risk Assessment to be the primary reference for the field.

A two-volume handbook that explores the theories and practice of correctional psychology With contributions from an international panel of experts in the field, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology offers a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the most relevant topics concerning the practice of psychology in correctional systems. The contributors explore the theoretical, professional and practical issues that are pertinent to correctional psychologists and other professionals in relevant fields. The Handbook explores the foundations of correctional psychology and contains information on the history of the profession, the roles of psychology in a correctional setting and examines the implementation and evaluation of various interventions. It also covers a range of topics including psychological assessment in prisons, specific treatments and modalities as well as community interventions. This important handbook: Offers the most comprehensive coverage on the topic of correctional psychology Contains contributions from leading experts from New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and North America Includes information on interventions and assessments in both community and imprisonment settings Presents chapters that explore contemporary issues and recent developments in the field Written for correctional psychologists, academics and students in correctional psychology and members of allied professional disciplines, The Wiley International Handbook of Correctional Psychology provides in-depth coverage of the most important elements of the field.