Transcript Assessing Risk: Gender responsive considerations
Assessing Risk: Gender responsive considerations
Samantha Crawford & Sarah Passmore Higher Assistant Psychologists
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Statistics
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Female pathways into offending
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Issues women encounter in prison
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Risk Assessments
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Ways Forward
Women in prison
3,814 (4.82%) June 2013
Age group
25-29
Women
796
Men
14,695 30-39 40-49 1,266 830 21,474 13,815
Sentence Length
Women: 12 months – less than 4 years
1,189
Men: 4 years or more (excluding indeterminate)
23,406
www.justice.gov.uk/statistics
Offence Type Men Violence against the person
28.5%
Drug Offences
14.5%
Theft & Handling Stolen Goods
5.5%
Sexual Offences
14.3%
Male % Change from 2007 +1.3% Women
26.7%
-0.9% +0.1%
21.2% 13.2%
Women % Change from 2007 +6.2% -10% +2% +2.9%
2.4%
+1%
www.justice.gov.uk/statistics
“The most common pathways to crime are based on survival (of abuse and poverty) and substance abuse” (Bloom, Owen & Covington, 2003)
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Women as victims as well as offenders
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Relationships
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Mental illness
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Substance abuse
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Little education/work experience
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Homelessness/Accommodation
Loucks, 2004; Corston, 2007; A Distinct Approach: A Guide to Working with Women Offenders – NOMS 2012
Self Harm Location of prison from home area Pregnancy/birth in prison Separation from children Effects of separation on the children Hormonal difficulties
What are risk assessments?
“The assessment of risk for future sexual/violent behaviour in patients/offenders with a violent history and/or mental disorder”
(De Vogel, 2012)
Why have more gender specific risk assessments?
HCR-20
Assessing Risk for Violence (Webster, Douglas, Eaves & Hart, 1997)
Historical (Past) Clinical (Present) Risk Management (Future) R1
. Plans Lack Feasibility
H1
. Previous Violence
H2
. Young Age at First Violent Incident
H3
. Relationship Instability
H4
. Employment Problems
H5
. Substance Use Problems
H6
. Major Mental Illness
H7
. Psychopathy
H8
. Early Maladjustment
H9
. Personality Disorder
H10
. Prior Supervision Failure
C1
. Lack of Insight
C2
. Negative Attitudes
C3
. Active Symptoms of Major Mental Illness
C4.
Impulsivity
C5
. Unresponsive to Treatment
R2
. Exposure to Destabilizers
R3
. Lack of Personal Support
R4
. Noncompliance with Remediation Attempts
R5
. Stress
• The Female Additional Manual (FAM) is a recently developed addition to the HCR-20 for assessing risk for violence in women.
(De Vogel, de Vries Robbe, van Kalmthout & Place, 2011) • Several risk factors for violent behaviour in women differ substantially from those in men.
• The increased number of violent crimes being committing by women and the different pathways into crime is highlighting the need for gender specific risk assessments.
Profile
Miss A: 26 year old female Index offence: Murder Previous offences: theft, assaulting a constable
Background Information
Parents separated age 7 Neglect and physical and sexual abuse as a child Witnessed domestic violence Behavioural difficulties at school Taken in to care age 12 Substance misuse Pregnancy at young age Postnatal depression Prostitution
Prison Behaviour
Self harm Low self esteem Manipulation Borderline personality disorder
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H6 Major Mental Illness
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H7 Psychopathy
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H8 Early Maladjustment
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H8a Problematic Circumstances during childhood
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H8b Problematic behaviour during childhood
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H9 Personality Disorder – cluster B PDs
De Vogel, de Vries Robbe, van Kalmthout & Place, 2011 •
H10 Prior supervision failure
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H11 Prostitution
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H12 Parenting difficulties
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H13 Pregnancy at young age
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H14 Suicidality/Self harm
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H15 Victimization after childhood
Clinical Items Risk Management Items • Covert/Manipulative behaviour • Problematic child care responsibility • Low self esteem • Problematic intimate relationship
Index offence: Murder Pregnancy at young age Self harm Prostitution Manipulation Neglect and physical and sexual abuse as a child Borderline personality disorder Postnatal depression
The increased number of violent offences committed by women have highlighting the need for gender sensitive risk assessment.
The pathways into offending seem to differ from those of males including substance misuse, abuse and mental health problems, prostitution and there are more likely to be missed in traditional risk assessments. FAM development are a step forward in adopting a more gender sensitive approach to assessment and risk and an important factor when assessing risk on female offenders.