Process of Violence Risk Assessment: A Review of Descriptive Research

• NCJ Number: 197154
• Journal: Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 7 Issue: 6 Dated: November - December 2002 Pages: 591-604
• Author(s): Eric B. Elbogen
• Date Published: November 2002
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): 5T32MH16156
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article addresses the process of violence risk assessment, focusing on cue utilization, clinical reliability, and clinical decision-making.

Abstract

In this article, three areas of descriptive research on the process of violence risk assessment, cue utilization, clinical reliability, and clinical decision-making are reviewed and addressed. After arguing that violence risk assessment is an important task of mental health professionals so that public safety is assured, the author presents a review of literature discussing the types of risk factors clinicians use when assessing the violence of psychiatric patients. Discussing the reliability of risk assessments, the author argues that team models that emphasize consensus produce the best predictors of violence. Focusing on the descriptive research addressing the processes by which clinicians make decisions when conducting violence risk assessments, this article presents the types of decision-making errors that clinicians commit when assessing violence. After arguing that violence risk assessment has made significant progress in the last decade, the author contends that an integration of prescriptive and descriptive risk assessment will improve violence risk assessment overall. References