Prospectively predicting violent and aggressive incidents in prison practice with the Risk Screener Violence (RS-V):...

Preventing in-prison violence and maintaining a safe environment is an important goal within prison settings. Screening for violence risk may provide a valuable addition to reach this goal. Within the Dutch prison system, the Risk Screener Violence (RS-V) has become an important new element in overall risk management. Prior research shows that RS-V scores are a sound predictor of institutional violence and aggression of incarcerated persons. Whereas previous studies predominantly analyzed retrospective file-based data, the present study includes RS-Vs rated by prison employees in real-life prison practice shortly after implementation. The RS-Vs of 956 detained individuals from 25 Dutch prisons were analyzed. Disciplinary reports were consulted to measure violent and aggressive incidents during 4 months after the screening. In addition, detention duration (length of stay in prison before the screening) was included as an additional variable. Results of the present prison practice study show good predictive values of the RS-V ratings for violent and aggressive incidents during prison stay. The predictive validity was similar for prisoner-to-prisoner assault as well as prisoner-to-staff assault. In addition, the predictive validity of the RS-V scores did not differ between individuals with a longer detention duration versus individuals with a shorter detention duration. This multisite prison practice study is an important step in the further validation of the RS-V and shows that the RS-V is a valuable tool in determining who is more likely to show institutional violence. Nonetheless, it remains important to continually monitor the implementation and correct application of the RS-V in prison practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).