Lec 1

Question 1

Risk assessment definition:

Answer 1

the attempt to predict the likelihood of future offending in order to identify individuals in need of intervention

Question 2

Risk assessment must specify:

Answer 2

• Behavior
• Potential damage or harm caused by the behavior
• The probability that it will occur and under what circumstances

Question 3

Risk management=

Answer 3

Interventions to manage or reduce risk

Question 4

RNR model:

Answer 4

1. Risk- offenders with higher risk of recidivism benefit most from intense treatment
2. Need- only factors associated with reduction of recidivism should be addressed during treatment
3. Responsivity- interventions should be tailored to offenders characteristics, like motivational level, personal circumstances, learning style

Question 5

Big 4 of criminogenic needs:

Answer 5

1. History of antisocial behavior
2. Antisocial personality pattern
3. Antisocial cognitions
4. Antisocial peers

Question 6

History of antisocial behavior (Big 4): risk and dynamic need:

Answer 6

• Risk: early and ongoing involvement in a number and variety of antisocial acts in a variety of settings
• Dynamic need- work on non-criminal alternative behaviors in high-risk situations

Question 7

Antisocial personality pattern (Big 4): risk and dynamic need:

Answer 7

• Risk: thrill-seeking, weak self-control, restless, aggressive
• Dynamic need: work on problem-solving skills, self-management skills, anger management, and coping skills

Question 8

Antisocial cognitions (Big 4): risk and dynamic need:

Answer 8

• Risk: attitudes, beliefs, rationalizations that support criminal behavior, cognitive-emotional conditions of anger, resentment, and pride
• Dynamic need: reduce antisocial cognitions, recognize risky ways of thinking and feeling, develop alternative and less risky ways of thinking and feeling, adopt a renewed or anti-criminal identity

Question 9

Antisocial peers (Big 4): risk and dynamic need:

Answer 9

• Risk: close contacts with criminal others and relative social isolation with non-criminal others, direct support for crime
• Dynamic need: reduce contacts with cirminal others, build contacts/links with non-criminal others

Question 10

Central 8 (Big 4+ Moderate 4)

Answer 10

• Family/marital relationships
• School and job
• Prosocial recreational activities
• Substance abuse

Question 11

Relevant non-criminogenic needs for general offending behavior (4):

Answer 11

• Self-esteem
• Emotional problems
• Psychiatric illness
• Health
• Indirectly contribute to the reduction of dynamic risk

Question 12

Important non-criminogenic risk factors that seem to be directly related to recidivism reduction (2):

Answer 12

• A decrease in negative emotions

- Successful treatment process from the client

Question 13

External responsivity (RNR):

Answer 13

type of treatment, characteristics of the therapist, availability of adequate interventions, possibilities offered by the treatment environment (stability, quality of life, mobility)

Question 14

Internal responsivity (RNR):

Answer 14

take into account the individual characteristics of a client: intellect, personality, disorder, treatment motivation, learning style

Question 15

4 generations of risk assessment instruments:

Answer 15

-1st generation: unstructured professional judgment
-2nd generation: actuarial instruments
-3rd generation: structured professional judgment (1st generation + 2nd generation)
4th generation: +case management

Question 16

1st generation risk assessment instrument:

Answer 16

• Unstructured professional judgement

- No underlying assessment instrument

Question 17

1st gen advantages:

Answer 17

• not expensive
• flexible, convenient
• no training needed

Question 18

1st gen disadvantages:

Answer 18

• Lack of consistency and transparency
• Susceptible to biases
• No training needed
• Lack f scoring integrity
• Accuracy equal to chance
• Poor reliability and validity

Question 19

2nd generation insturment:

Answer 19

-Actuarial
-Empirically-based, mostly statistic items
Score a list of factors and add them up, look in norm table

Question 20

2nd gen advantages:

Answer 20

• Transparent/objective
• Good reliability and predictive validity
• Interrater reliability
• Quick and easy to conduct
• Replicable

Question 21

2nd gen disadvantages:

Answer 21

• A-theoretical (not based on theory, explanation models)
• Unchangeable, thus also does not allow for change over time
• Limited identification of treatment targets
• Limited integration of interventions
• Only risk factors, and no protective factors
• No clinical override
• Risk categories based on group data

Question 22

3rd generation instruments:

Answer 22

• Structured professional judgment

- Includes protective + dynamic risk factors and (non-)criminogenic needs

Question 23

3rd gen advantages:

Answer 23

• transparent
• sensitive to change
• good reliability and predictive validity
• identification of treatment goals
• professional is always in the lead
• context dependent
• multi-dimensional
• risk formulation

Question 24

3rd gen disadvantages:

Answer 24

• more time consuming
• repeated measures to examine changes
• limited integration of intervention

Question 25

4th gen instruments:

Answer 25

- A combination of all generations + case planning and interventions

Question 26

4th gen advantages:

Answer 26

- transparent - sensitive to change over time - theoretically sound - allows for clinical judgment - incorporates interventions

Question 27

4th gen disadvantages:

Answer 27

- more time consuming - repeated measures to examine changes - training and expertise

Question 28

Static risk factors:

Answer 28

Not changeable/treatable (e.g., age, ethnicity, type of offense, first conviction). Give an idea of a basic risk but not be used to handle the offenders

Question 29

Dynamic risk factors:

Answer 29

Changeable/treatable. Interventions aim to change dynamic risk factors → ‘’causal’’ status - Also called criminogenic needs.

Question 30

Stable dynamic risk factors:

Answer 30

- Modifiable but unlikely to change - Personal skill deficits and learned behaviors -Can be changed through a process of effortful treatment (e.g., impulse control, poor attachment)

Question 31

Acute dynamic risk factors:

Answer 31

- Modifiable and likely to change - Highly transient conditions that only last hours or days - Rapidly changing because of environmental triggers or intrapersonal stresses related to re-offense (e.g., intoxication, negative mood)

Question 32

Protective factors:

Answer 32

- Prosocial means or strategies to achieve one or more primary human goods, also referred to as common life goals - Protective factors are buffers - Improve prediction accuracy

Question 33

Good Lives Model (GLM):

Answer 33

-Accomplish a good life by fulfilling these primary goods

Question 34

Specific offender populations:

Answer 34

- Sex offenders (hands-on/off) - Offenders with an ID - Women - Youth