Special journal issue on new HCR-20 V3 risk instrument

The International Journal of Forensic Mental Health has just published a special issue on the HCR-20 Version 3, an update to the most widely used structured professional judgment method for assessing violence risk. Those of you without access to academic databases will be happy to learn that the entire issue is available for free download.

The work covered in the special issue is international in scope, spanning seven countries. Separate articles present the latest data on the instrument’s scientific reliability and validity, with a special focus on the most critical question of how well the HCR-20 does what it is supposed to do – predict risk. The authors represent quite a range, many of whom you will recognize. 

The articles, which can be downloaded directly by clicking on the below links, include the following:

• Introduction to the Special Issue of the HCR-20 Version 3 by Kevin S. Douglas

• Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20, Version 3 (HCR-20^V3): Development and Overview  by Kevin S. Douglas, Stephen D. Hart, Christopher D. Webster, Henrik Belfrage, Laura S. Guy & Catherine M. Wilson

• The Use of the HCR-20^V3 in Dutch Forensic Psychiatric Practice by Vivienne de Vogel, Ellen van den Broek and Michiel de Vries Robbé

• The HCR-20^V3 in Germany by Sebastian Kötter, Fritjof von Franqué, Manfred Bolzmacher, Sabine Eucker, Barbara Holzinger & Rüdiger Müller-Isberner

• Interrater Reliability and Concurrent Validity of the HCR-20 Version 3 by Kevin S. Douglas & Henrik Belfrage

• Predicting Post-Discharge Community Violence in England and Wales Using the HCR-20^V3 by Michael Doyle, Laura Archer Power, Jeremy Coid, Constantinos Kallis, Simone Ullrich & Jenny Shaw

• The Validity of Version 3 of the HCR-20 Violence Risk Assessment Scheme Amongst Offenders and Civil Psychiatric Patients by Diane S. Strub, Kevin S. Douglas & Tonia L. Nicholls

• Adapting the HCR-20^V3 for Pre-trial Settings by Shannon Toney Smith, Shannon E. Kelley, Allison Rulseh, Karolina Sörman & John F. Edens

• The HCR-20 Version 3: A Case Study in Risk Formulation by Caroline Logan

Of related interest:

Long-awaited HCR-20 update to premiere in Scotland (Oct. 4, 2012)