Citation

Miller SL, Brodsky SL. J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 2011; 39(3): 396-401.

Affiliation

55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655. slmiller@crimson.ua.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Publisher American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

21908757

Abstract

Despite major advances in the prediction of violence and risk management, risk evaluations are necessarily imperfect. This article focuses on the role of the evaluator in such assessments and addresses the consequences incurred by clinicians involved in conducting risk assessments. We discuss the risks of over-predicting and under-predicting violence with respect to how these risks can influence an evaluator's opinion. Then, we review how law and psychology inform the clinician's work. Finally, in response to the compelling tendency toward over-prediction of violence, we propose a preliminary self-assessment guide as a method of examining influences on the evaluator in assessing violence risk.

Language: en