Predicting physically violent misconduct in prison: A comparison of four risk assessment instruments

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Forensic Psychology
• Correctional Health

Background:

• Prison violence poses risks to inmates and staff.
• Risk assessment tools are validated in psychiatric settings but less in prisons.
• Predicting violent misconduct in correctional facilities requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictive validity of four risk assessment instruments for violent misconduct in a Swiss prison.
• To compare the effectiveness of static versus dynamic risk factors in predicting prison violence.

Main Methods:

• Applied four risk assessment instruments: Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk, Historical Clinical Risk Management-20, Psychopathy checklist - Revised, and Violent Risk Appraisal Guide.
• Assessed 52 violent offenders in a Swiss correctional facility.
• Tracked instances of physically violent, other, and any misconduct over 12 months.

Main Results:

• Approximately 15% of offenders committed physically violent misconduct; 42% committed any misconduct.
• Dynamic assessment tools were comparable to static tools in predicting physically violent misconduct.
• Results suggest dynamic factors are significant predictors of prison violence.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic risk assessment tools show promise for predicting and managing prison violence.
• Interventions targeting dynamic risk factors may effectively reduce physical violence in correctional settings.
• Further research is needed to refine risk assessment for prison populations.