Demographic and Case History Variables in Risk Assessment (From Violence and Mental Disorder: Developments in Risk Assessment, P 229-257, 1994, John Monahan and Henry J Steadman, eds. -- See NCJ-165556)

• NCJ Number: 165566
• Author(s): D Klassen; W A O'Connor
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 29 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
• Sale Source: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter examines the ways in which the interaction between a person's life history and demographic characteristics can lead to violence.

Abstract

The authors consider factors that can lead people to manifest violent tendencies, such as modeling, rehearsal, and reinforcement. Also discussed are factors that can moderate the occurrence of violence, such as parental supervision, and factors that can predispose a person toward violence, such as cognitive impairment. Factors that can affect the acceptability of violence are identified as well. The authors advise that demographic differences may be viewed as norms that influence the emergence of violent behavior under certain conditions, for example, if these contribute to a greater exposure to conditions or factors that increase risk for violence. They expect, however, that when researchers control for differential exposure to the true factors that produce violent behavior, demographic differences will disappear or at least be greatly attenuated. A discussion of implications for future research identifies four basic directions: risk-management research, studies that identify the type of violence or risk, studies that evaluate the degree of risk, and studies that evaluate the contribution of multiple determinants of risk and violence. 130 references