International Perspectives on Violence Risk Assessment

With the world’s prison population continuing to grow and the number of secure inpatient beds in psychiatric hospitals on the rise, establishing valid and reliable methods of identifying individuals who will commit violent acts is an important global health and public safety issue. One approach to identifying future offenders is through the use of risk assessment--unstructured and structured methods of predicting the likelihood of antisocial behavior. Although much has been written on the performance of risk assessment in research settings, little is known about current standards of practice and relevant public policy across the globe.

International Perspectives on Violence Risk Assessment includes chapters by leading risk assessment scholars in more than 15 countries and explores the topic from a truly international outlook. Using findings from the seminal International Risk Survey (IRiS), the largest qualitative study in the history of the field, current assessment, management, and monitoring practices on six continents are explored. Authors identify and describe the most commonly used risk assessment tools, examine risk communication preferences, and provide recommendations for mental health practitioners, criminal justice professionals, and legal professionals. Finally, authors review the seminal research studies, current practice guidelines, and relevant legal statutes of their jurisdictions. This volume serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in this rapidly evolving field.

Jay P. Singh, PhD, PhD, is Founder of the Global Institute of Forensic Research and Professor of Epidemiology and Violence Risk Assessment at Molde University College in Norway. Professor Singh serves as Clinical Associate in the Department of Psychiatry and Senior Research Fellow at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the rapid dissemination of evidence-based practice in the areas of mental health, corrections, and the law.

Stål Bjørkly, PsyD, is Professor of Health Sciences and Social Care at Molde University College in Norway. Professor Bjørkly serves as Specialist Clinical Psychologist at Helse Sør-Øst in Oslo and maintains a private practice in Molde. His research focuses on the assessment and management of institutional and community violence, the relationship between psychosis and violence, and screening for violence risk in civil psychiatric settings.

Seena Fazel, BSc(Hons), MBChB, MD, FRCPsych, is Professor of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Oxford in England. Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Professor Fazel’s research focuses on violence risk assessment, the relationship between mental illness and violent crime, and the mental health of prisoners.