Factors predicting desistance from criminal and aggressive behavior in mentally disordered individuals

For mentally disordered individuals it is invaluable to carefully consider protective factors that predict desistance from criminal and especially aggressive behavior, both in risk assessment and treatment. Positive personal, social or environmental strengths increase prevention of inpatient violence, promote successful rehabilitation and safe community reintegration and ultimately enhance desistance from reoffending. Guidelines for the assessment of protective factors are increasingly widely applied in treatment and risk management practice. The most widely used tools for assessing strengths for both adults and youth are the START and the SAPROF. These tools have an ever growing evidence base for predicting desistance across different types of mentally disordered individuals. Ongoing developments aim to further increase the usability of protective factors for specific subgroups of individuals, enhancing their value for tailored assessment and strength-based personalized interventions that further promote desistance from criminal and aggressive behavior.