tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post7539370289489396259..comments2024-03-20T19:17:02.285-07:00Comments on IN THE NEWS: Violence risk instruments overpredicting dangerKaren Franklin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-65652406268726945922012-09-16T18:19:13.532-07:002012-09-16T18:19:13.532-07:00Robert Forde, a forensic psychologist in the UK, h...Robert Forde, a forensic psychologist in the UK, had the following comment on risk assessment instruments:<br /><br />"I think the usefulness of ALL risk assessment methods has been overstated. I would like to believe that dynamic factors could be useful, but I don't see much evidence of that. The difficulty with incorporating clinical judgement into this field (not necessarily others) is that reliability turns out to be so poor. I think at least a part of that is due to halo effects (we deal with some odd people who have done some nasty things), and a part is due to assessors covering their backs when someone may be (for example) paroled as a result of the assessment. The assessor suffers no penalty for causing a low risk person to be held for too long. The taxpayer picks up the tab." Karen Franklin, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-82250017787717790872012-08-03T16:54:37.196-07:002012-08-03T16:54:37.196-07:00Hi Karen
I actually contacted some of the authors ...Hi Karen<br />I actually contacted some of the authors of the various risk assessment devices/tools after I read this article a week or so ago. <br />Leslie Helmus from the Static - 99 Team provided a useful response based on critiquing the methodology employed in the Fazel and Singh study which draws into contention their conclusions. I wont share her thoughts but I have encouraged her and the other instrument authors to write a rejoinder. Leslie is availble on Leslie.Helmus@CSC-SCC.GC.CA<br />Regards<br />Steve Wright<br />www.mindsight.net.auMindsight Psychologyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11156048780910471567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-40546030307635817582012-08-03T06:04:22.278-07:002012-08-03T06:04:22.278-07:00Thank you Karen for bringing to our attention this...Thank you Karen for bringing to our attention this important study highlighting yet again that there are no quick fixes and we are wrong way more often than many would like to admit.Jeffery C. Singer, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00434650897343319380noreply@blogger.com