NCJ Number
181516
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2000 Pages: 1-7
Editor(s)
Richard L. Wiener
Date Published
February 2000
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This is an overview of and introduction to an issue on advances in forensic assessment and treatment.
Abstract
The first article in this volume reviews the literature on the quality of forensic psychological evaluations and testimony. The second article examines the relationship between psychopathy and violent behavior in a sample of offenders with schizophrenia in a Scandinavian country. The next four articles highlight the impressive research and practice advances in violence risk assessment, the debate about the appropriateness and accuracy of clinical versus actuarial methods for assessing violence risk, how clinical judgments can be improved, assessment of risk among sex offenders, how clinicians communicate their judgments of violence risk, and detection of feigned cognitive deficits. The articles demonstrate that clinical forensic psychology has advanced considerably since the late 1960's, and reveal new conceptual approaches, new assessment strategies, and new applied analytic techniques. They also suggest future directions for research and scholarship designed to improve forensic practice. References