Karin Arbach-Lucioni

Bio: Karin Arbach-Lucioni is an academic researcher from University of Barcelona. The author has contributed to research in topics: Risk assessment & Mental health. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 11 publications receiving 243 citations. Previous affiliations of Karin Arbach-Lucioni include National Scientific and Technical Research Council.

International Perspectives on the practical application of violence risk assessment : a global survey of 44 countries

Abstract: Mental health professionals are routinely called upon to assess the risk of violence presented by their patients. Prior surveys of risk assessment methods have been largely circumscribed to individual countries and have not compared the practices of different professional disciplines. Therefore, a Web-based survey was developed to examine methods of violence risk assessment across six continents, and to compare the perceived utility of these methods by psychologists, psychiatrists, and nurses. The survey was translated into nine languages and distributed to members of 59 national and international organizations. Surveys were completed by 2135 respondents from 44 countries. Respondents in all six continents reported using instruments to assess, manage, and monitor violence risk, with over half of risk assessments in the past 12 months conducted using such an instrument. Respondents in Asia and South America reported conducting fewer structured assessments, and psychologists reported using instruments more ...

Risk Factors for Violent Behavior in Prison Inmates: A Cross-Cultural Contribution

Abstract: A large body of research has focused on indicators of the risk of prison violence, especially in the United States. Little is known about this question in Spain, despite the fact that in 2010, this country had the most crowded prison system in western Europe. This prospective study draws on official data to examine the relationship between individual and situational characteristics and misconduct in a sample of 1,330 inmates from 11 penitentiary facilities across a 10-month period. Violent misconduct was less frequent than potentially violent behavior, with prevalence rates of 9% and 13%, respectively. Younger age, being on remand, classification as first degree, prior violent behavior, drug and/or alcohol problems, poor response to treatment, and procriminal attitudes were significant risk factors of inmate misbehavior in an ordinal regression model (areas under the curve = 0.74 to 0.82). Having a violent conviction offense was not a significant predictor of outcome. The implications for current classifi...

Predicting violence in psychiatric inpatients: a prospective study with the HCR-20 violence risk assessment scheme

Abstract: This prospective longitudinal study explores the predictive validity of the HCR-20 and the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV) in a mentally disordered high-risk population. Files of 78 inpatients were coded and patients were followed up while in hospital for 12 months by nursing staff who recorded violent incidents using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale. Receiver operating characteristic analyses yielded moderate to strong associations between HCR-20 and violence (AUCs ¼ .69–.77). PCL:SV AUCs were lower and more unstable (.61–.70). Regression analyses revealed that both tools were good violence predictors in the short-term, but only HCR-20 and particularly the clinical subscale contributed to prediction beyond this period. Patients scoring above the HCR-20 mean were 2.1–2.5 times more likely to be violent than those scoring below the mean. The results suggest that the HCR-20’s Spanish adaptation is a useful tool for predicting the likelihood of inpatient violence in civil psychiatric wards. Implications for risk assessment research are discussed.

Factores de riesgo de la reincidencia violenta en población penitenciaria

Abstract: Determinar que delincuentes presentan un mayor riesgo de comision de un nuevo delito violento tras salir de prision es una tarea fundamental para poder prevenir dicho comportamiento. Uno de los modelos que mejor explica la adquisicion y el mantenimiento de la conducta delictiva es el propuesto por ANDREWS y BONTA (1994). Este modelo esta basado en la evidencia empirica y propone la existencia de «Cuatro Grandes» factores de riesgo relacionados directamente con el comportamiento delictivo y que, ademas, son los que mejor predicen la reincidencia general. El proposito de este estudio es determinar en que grado estos cuatro factores de riesgo (historia de conducta antisocial, redes y vinculos antisociales, actitudes antisociales y patron de personalidad antisocial) son capaces de predecir la reincidencia violenta en una muestra de delincuentes. La historia de conducta antisocial, asi como el patron de personalidad antisocial se mostraron estadisticamente significativos en la prediccion de la reincidencia violenta, lo que sugiere que estas dos variables deberian evaluarse a fondo y tenerse en cuenta en la gestion penitenciaria, la toma de decisiones y la planificacion del tratamiento de los delincuentes en prision. Determining which offenders are at greater risk of committing a new violent crime after leaving prison is an essential task to prevent such behavior. one model that best explains the acquisition and maintenance of criminal behavior is that proposed by Andrews and Bonta (1994). this model is based on empirical evidence and suggests the existence of «Big Four» risk factors directly related to criminal behavior and which, in addition, are the best predictors of general recidivism. the purpose of this study is determining to what extent these four risk factors (criminal history, companions, procriminal attitude/orientation and antisocial pattern) can predict violent recidivism in a sample of offenders. the criminal history and antisocial pattern were statistically significant in predicting violent recidivism, suggesting that these two variables should be thoroughly assessed and taken into account in prison management as well as in the decision making regarding the planning of the offenders’ treatment in prison.

Violence Risk Assessment Practices in Denmark: A Multidisciplinary National Survey

Abstract: With a quadrupling of forensic psychiatric patients in Denmark over the past 20 years, focus on violence risk assessment practices across the country has increased. However, information is lacking regarding Danish risk assessment practice across professional disciplines and clinical settings; little is known about how violence risk assessments are conducted, which instruments are used for what purposes, and how mental health professionals rate their utility and costs. As part of a global survey exploring the application of violence risk assessment across 44 countries, the current study investigated Danish practice across several professional disciplines and settings in which forensic and high-risk mental health patients are assessed and treated. In total, 125 mental health professionals across the country completed the survey. The five instruments that respondents reported most commonly using for risk assessment, risk management planning and risk monitoring were Broset, HCR-20, the START, the PCL-R, and the PCL: SV. Whereas the HCR-20 was rated highest in usefulness for risk assessment, the START was rated most useful for risk management and risk monitoring. No significant differences in utility were observed across professional groups. Unstructured clinical judgments were reported to be faster but more expensive to conduct than using a risk assessment instrument. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

The code of the street and inmate violence: investigating the salience of imported belief systems†

Abstract: Scholars have long argued that inmate behaviors stem in part from cultural belief systems that they “import” with them into incarcerative settings. Even so, few empirical assessments have tested this argument directly. Drawing on theoretical accounts of one such set of beliefs—the code of the street—and on importation theory, we hypothesize that individuals who adhere more strongly to the street code will be more likely, once incarcerated, to engage in violent behavior and that this effect will be amplified by such incarceration experiences as disciplinary sanctions and gang involvement, as well as the lack of educational programming, religious programming, and family support. We test these hypotheses using unique data that include measures of the street code belief system and incarceration experiences. The results support the argument that the code of the street belief system affects inmate violence and that the effect is more pronounced among inmates who lack family support, experience disciplinary sanctions, and are gang involved. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Performance of recidivism risk assessment instruments in U.S. correctional settings.

Abstract: With the population of adults under correctional supervision in the United States at an all-time high, psychologists and other professionals working in U.S. correctional agencies face mounting pressures to identify offenders at greater risk of recidivism and to guide treatment and supervision recommendations. Risk assessment instruments are increasingly being used to assist with these tasks; however, relatively little is known regarding the performance of these tools in U.S. correctional settings. In this review, we synthesize the findings of studies examining the predictive validity of assessments completed using instruments designed to predict general recidivism risk, including committing a new crime and violating conditions of probation or parole, among adult offenders in the United States. We searched for studies conducted in the United States and published between January 1970 and December 2012 in peer-reviewed journals, government reports, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations using PsycINFO, the U.S. National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts, and Google. We identified 53 studies (72 samples) conducted in U.S. correctional settings examining the predictive validity of 19 risk assessment instruments. The instruments varied widely in the number, type, and content of their items. For most instruments, predictive validity had been examined in 1 or 2 studies conducted in the United States that were published during the reference period. Only 2 studies reported on interrater reliability. No instrument emerged as producing the "most" reliable and valid risk assessments. Findings suggest the need for continued evaluation of the performance of instruments used to predict recidivism risk in U.S. correctional agencies. (PsycINFO Database Record

Communicating the results of criterion referenced prediction measures: Risk categories for the Static-99R and Static-2002R sexual offender risk assessment tools

Abstract: This article describes principles for developing risk category labels for criterion referenced prediction measures, and demonstrates their utility by creating new risk categories for the Static-99R and Static-2002R sexual offender risk assessment tools. Currently, risk assessments in corrections and forensic mental health are typically summarized in 1 of 3 words: low, moderate, or high. Although these risk labels have strong influence on decision makers, they are interpreted differently across settings, even among trained professionals. The current article provides a framework for standardizing risk communication by matching (a) the information contained in risk tools to (b) a broadly applicable classification of "riskiness" that is independent of any particular offender risk scale. We found that the new, common STATIC risk categories not only increase concordance of risk classification (from 51% to 72%)-they also allow evaluators to make the same inferences for offenders in the same category regardless of which instrument was used to assign category membership. More generally, we argue that the risk categories should be linked to the decisions at hand, and that risk communication can be improved by grounding these risk categories in evidence-based definitions. (PsycINFO Database Record