Assessment of General Violent Behavior

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The surprising risk factors associated with engaging in violence include; antisocial beliefs and
attitudes, poverty, poor academic performance and poor residents. Other risk factors that do not
appear on the violence risk assessment tools are antisocial parents, low commitment to education
and low levels of community participation.

Structured professional judgment is more effective compared to actuarial risk assessment tool.
SPJ approaches utilize logical item selection unlike empirical item collection procedures in
Actuarial approach to select risk factors. Actuarial risk tools are used to assess the recidivism
risk of adult sexual offenders. The Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (Revised) has a high level of
predictive accuracy of violent recidivism and other violent outcomes. The third version of the
HCR-20 remains outstanding as it describes and illustrates the process of risk formulation.

The findings of Barber et al were the importance of risk assessment which included;
identification of people who may be at risk, spotting hazards and work safety. An SPJ tool is
more appropriate in for a diversion program. Targeting the underlying factor that led to the crime
in the first place enhances effective diversion programs.
 Reference

Sacco, R. L., Benjamin, E. J., Broderick, J. P., Dyken, M., Easton, J. D., Feinberg, W. M., ... &
Wolf, P. A. (1997). Risk factors. Stroke, 28(7), 1507-1517.