An effective approach to reducing recidivism is, first, to identify a youth&a... more An effective approach to reducing recidivism is, first, to identify a youth's risk of reoffending and then to match the intensity of interventions to that risk level. This pre-post quasi-experimental, prospective study compared 247 (pre) with 217 (post) adjudicated youths to examine the implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and its effects on case management practices in Louisiana's Caddo parish probation office. The results indicated that placement rates dropped by 50%, use of maximum levels of supervision dropped by almost 30%, and use of community services decreased except for high-risk youths, but only after the SAVRY was properly implemented. This shift towards more appropriate allocation of resources that are matched to risk level occurred without a significant increase in reoffending. The implications for implementation and for use of risk/needs assessment in juvenile probation are discussed.
... In Kenniston v. Department of Youth Services, 900 NE2d 852 (Mass. 2009), Cameron Kenniston, S... more ... In Kenniston v. Department of Youth Services, 900 NE2d 852 (Mass. 2009), Cameron Kenniston, Steve Stephen, and Jonathan Maldonado separately were adjudicated delinquent and committed to the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) at age 16. ...
Although reliability is essential to validity, most research on violence risk assessment tools ha... more Although reliability is essential to validity, most research on violence risk assessment tools has paid little attention to strategies for improving rater agreement. The authors evaluated the degree to which perceived subjectivity in scoring guidelines for items from two measures-the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20 (HCR-20)-were related to indices of interrater agreement reported in the research literature. Nine doctoral students with experience scoring the PCL-R and HCR-20 showed a high level of agreement with respect to the amount of subjectivity required to score items. Decreased subjectivity was associated with increased rater agreement for both tools. For the PCL-R, items on aggregate measures that have the strongest effects in predictive validity research (i.e., Factor 2, Facet 4) were rated as the least subjective. For the HCR-20, items on the Historical scale were rated as the least subjective. Implications for measure development and refinement are discussed.
Antisocial and psychopathic traits are essential to evaluate when assessing risk for violence usi... more Antisocial and psychopathic traits are essential to evaluate when assessing risk for violence using the HCR-20. The role of the PCL-R on the HCR-20 was investigated using a series of meta-analytic tests. Across 34 samples in which both tools were rated, AUCs for violence were similar (∼.69), and exclusion of the psychopathy item (H7) did not reduce the HCR-20's accuracy. Quantitative synthesis of results from multivariate analyses conducted in 7 raw datasets that used both tools demonstrated that the average probability of observing violence for every point increase on the HCR-20 (without H7), while controlling for the PCL-R, was 23%, whereas for the PCL-R it was -1%. The HCR-20 (without H7) added incremental validity to the PCL-R, whereas the converse was not true, and only the HCR-20 (without H7) possessed unique predictive validity. Results suggest the HCR-20's predictive validity was not negatively impacted by excluding the PCL-R. Areas for future study are discussed, including research on various ways to assess and incorporate into risk assessment personality traits related to violence.
Page 1. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law IMPACT OF RISK/NEEDS ASSESSMENT ON JUVENILE PROBATION ... more Page 1. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law IMPACT OF RISK/NEEDS ASSESSMENT ON JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICERS' DECISION MAKING: Importance of Implementation Gina M. Vincent, Melissa L. Paiva-Salisbury, Nathan ...
Page 1. 178 The Influence of Psychosocial Maturity on Adolescent Offenders' Delinquent Behav... more Page 1. 178 The Influence of Psychosocial Maturity on Adolescent Offenders' Delinquent Behavior Keith R. Cruise Fordham University Krissie Fernandez Michigan Department of Corrections Wendy K. McCoy Federal Bureau of Prisons Laura S. Guy Simon Fraser University ...
This study examined the ability of the M-FAST to differentiate a group of undergraduate students ... more This study examined the ability of the M-FAST to differentiate a group of undergraduate students simulating one of four DSM-IV diagnoses (n = 190; schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder) and a clinical comparison sample drawn from previous M-FAST studies comprising individuals with the same diagnosis (n = 142). Across all diagnostic conditions, the simulators obtained higher M-FAST total scores than the clinical comparisons, and the rare combinations scale was equal or superior to the total score at differentiating the groups. The M-FAST was most efficient at distinguishing feigned from bona fide schizophrenia. Although the internal consistency of the total score was high (alpha = 0.88), inter-item correlations were lower than values reported in previous research. Lastly, given the importance of base rate considerations in the evaluation of diagnostic instruments, it was notable that the M-FAST was able to identify malingerers even at relatively low base rates.
Page 1. Liability Issues in Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Statutes Mark A. Small Clemson Univ... more Page 1. Liability Issues in Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Statutes Mark A. Small Clemson University Phillip M. Lyons Jr. and Laura S. Guy Sam Houston State University For nearly 30 years, psychologists have relied almost ...
An effective approach to reducing recidivism is, first, to identify a youth&a... more An effective approach to reducing recidivism is, first, to identify a youth's risk of reoffending and then to match the intensity of interventions to that risk level. This pre-post quasi-experimental, prospective study compared 247 (pre) with 217 (post) adjudicated youths to examine the implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and its effects on case management practices in Louisiana's Caddo parish probation office. The results indicated that placement rates dropped by 50%, use of maximum levels of supervision dropped by almost 30%, and use of community services decreased except for high-risk youths, but only after the SAVRY was properly implemented. This shift towards more appropriate allocation of resources that are matched to risk level occurred without a significant increase in reoffending. The implications for implementation and for use of risk/needs assessment in juvenile probation are discussed.
... In Kenniston v. Department of Youth Services, 900 NE2d 852 (Mass. 2009), Cameron Kenniston, S... more ... In Kenniston v. Department of Youth Services, 900 NE2d 852 (Mass. 2009), Cameron Kenniston, Steve Stephen, and Jonathan Maldonado separately were adjudicated delinquent and committed to the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) at age 16. ...
Although reliability is essential to validity, most research on violence risk assessment tools ha... more Although reliability is essential to validity, most research on violence risk assessment tools has paid little attention to strategies for improving rater agreement. The authors evaluated the degree to which perceived subjectivity in scoring guidelines for items from two measures-the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20 (HCR-20)-were related to indices of interrater agreement reported in the research literature. Nine doctoral students with experience scoring the PCL-R and HCR-20 showed a high level of agreement with respect to the amount of subjectivity required to score items. Decreased subjectivity was associated with increased rater agreement for both tools. For the PCL-R, items on aggregate measures that have the strongest effects in predictive validity research (i.e., Factor 2, Facet 4) were rated as the least subjective. For the HCR-20, items on the Historical scale were rated as the least subjective. Implications for measure development and refinement are discussed.
Antisocial and psychopathic traits are essential to evaluate when assessing risk for violence usi... more Antisocial and psychopathic traits are essential to evaluate when assessing risk for violence using the HCR-20. The role of the PCL-R on the HCR-20 was investigated using a series of meta-analytic tests. Across 34 samples in which both tools were rated, AUCs for violence were similar (∼.69), and exclusion of the psychopathy item (H7) did not reduce the HCR-20's accuracy. Quantitative synthesis of results from multivariate analyses conducted in 7 raw datasets that used both tools demonstrated that the average probability of observing violence for every point increase on the HCR-20 (without H7), while controlling for the PCL-R, was 23%, whereas for the PCL-R it was -1%. The HCR-20 (without H7) added incremental validity to the PCL-R, whereas the converse was not true, and only the HCR-20 (without H7) possessed unique predictive validity. Results suggest the HCR-20's predictive validity was not negatively impacted by excluding the PCL-R. Areas for future study are discussed, including research on various ways to assess and incorporate into risk assessment personality traits related to violence.
Page 1. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law IMPACT OF RISK/NEEDS ASSESSMENT ON JUVENILE PROBATION ... more Page 1. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law IMPACT OF RISK/NEEDS ASSESSMENT ON JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICERS' DECISION MAKING: Importance of Implementation Gina M. Vincent, Melissa L. Paiva-Salisbury, Nathan ...
Page 1. 178 The Influence of Psychosocial Maturity on Adolescent Offenders' Delinquent Behav... more Page 1. 178 The Influence of Psychosocial Maturity on Adolescent Offenders' Delinquent Behavior Keith R. Cruise Fordham University Krissie Fernandez Michigan Department of Corrections Wendy K. McCoy Federal Bureau of Prisons Laura S. Guy Simon Fraser University ...
This study examined the ability of the M-FAST to differentiate a group of undergraduate students ... more This study examined the ability of the M-FAST to differentiate a group of undergraduate students simulating one of four DSM-IV diagnoses (n = 190; schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder) and a clinical comparison sample drawn from previous M-FAST studies comprising individuals with the same diagnosis (n = 142). Across all diagnostic conditions, the simulators obtained higher M-FAST total scores than the clinical comparisons, and the rare combinations scale was equal or superior to the total score at differentiating the groups. The M-FAST was most efficient at distinguishing feigned from bona fide schizophrenia. Although the internal consistency of the total score was high (alpha = 0.88), inter-item correlations were lower than values reported in previous research. Lastly, given the importance of base rate considerations in the evaluation of diagnostic instruments, it was notable that the M-FAST was able to identify malingerers even at relatively low base rates.
Page 1. Liability Issues in Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Statutes Mark A. Small Clemson Univ... more Page 1. Liability Issues in Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Statutes Mark A. Small Clemson University Phillip M. Lyons Jr. and Laura S. Guy Sam Houston State University For nearly 30 years, psychologists have relied almost ...
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