gender issues in risk assessment: men and women compared

1. gender issues in risk assessment: men and women compared Caroline Logan

2. overview should the risk assessments carried out on women be different from those carried out on men? should risk management planning be different in men and women? what do we know about the risks posed by women? best practice recommendations

3. what do we know about the risks posed by women?

4. women in institutions women who offend women in prison violent women recidivism 16% of women convicted of violence 39% of violent women will reoffend 48% of women will reoffend 5.25% of prison population sexual re-offence rate <1% 4,365 women in prison fewer offences

5. the nature of the harm caused physical harm towards others relational aggression psychological abuse domestic arena less serious outcomes covert bullying associated with psychopathic traits externalised emotion or psychopathology

6. origins of gender differences biological factors socialisation gender bias in the CJS gender bias in assessment and diagnosis

7. should the risk assessments carried out on women be different from those carried out on men?

8. risk assessment Risk assessment is an estimation of risk potential based on our understanding of the balance between certain conditions that we assume to be risk factors and certain other conditions that we assume to be protective factors, all of which are judged to have relevance to the harm potential of the client in question Risk formulation

9. risk management Risk management is action taken to prevent or limit potentially harmful outcomes – achieved by a combination of anticipating what these outcomes might look like (scenario planning), identifying early warning signs of a relapse to this harmful outcome and agreeing what action should be taken (treatment, supervision) when they are observed (monitoring) Risk management plan

10. putting it all together AKA structured professional judgement structured clinical judgement tools mainly help HERE treatment risk relevant factors FORMULATION risk management monitoring protective supervision feedback ensures dynamic process victim safety planning largely use clinical judgement here

11. which tools could be helpful? Historical History of violence Young age at 1st violence Relationship instability Employment problems Substance use problems Major mental illness Psychopathy Early maladjustment Personality disorder Prior supervision failure Clinical Lack of insight Negative attitudes Acute symptoms of major mental illness Impulsivity Unresponsive to treatment Risk Management Plans lack feasibility Exposure to destabilisers Lack of personal support Non-compliance with remediation attempts Stress

12. which other tools could be helpful? secure attachment in child’d effective coping skills stable & suitable work structured leisure activities positive atts to authority medication adherence stable intimate relationship supervised living presence of ext’l controls good intelligence empathy self-control sound finances motivated for treatment positive life goals prosocial network professional care www.forumeducatief.nl

13. formulation risk of what? relevant risk factors triggers RISK FORMULATION relevant protective factors maintenance

14. should risk management planning bedifferent in men and women?

15. treatment supervision monitoring victim safety planning • restrictions on activity, movement, association, or communication that are intended to control risk factors & limit opportunity to be violent; also enhancements to lifestyle in the form of structure, boundaries, role expectations • early warning signs of a relapse to violence; any indicators of a change in risk plus recommendations of action to be taken – or not taken – to minimise risk • treatment (or rehabilitation) strategies designed to moderate risk factors or enhance protective factors; interventions intended to restore or repair deficits in adjustment and functioning • steps to be taken to enhance the security of a possible future victim

16. best practice recommendations

17. risk AND protective factors use SPJ tools formulation understand women

18. contact Dr Caroline Logan Secure Psychological Services Mersey Care NHS Trust Ashworth Hospital Maghull Liverpool L31 1HW England caroline.logan@merseycare.nhs.uk