Protective factors for violence risk: Bringing balance to risk assessment

In the past two decades, knowledge about risk factors for future violence has increased exponentially. Many instruments have been developed aiming to assess the risk of future violent behaviour and several are currently in widespread use (i.e., HCR-20, Webster, et al., 1997; LSI-R, Andrews and Bonta, 1995; Static-99, Hanson and Thornton, 1999). The evolution of structured risk assessment instruments over the past few decades has provided us with increasingly helpful tools, to not only assist the prediction of future violent behaviour but to also guide clinical intervention and decision-making (Douglas and Skeem, 2005; Webster, et al., 2002). Researchers and clinicians have gradually embraced these risk assessment tools and have come to appreciate their usefulness for clinical practice and violence prevention. More specifically, those factors in structured risk assessment instruments that are changeable or dynamic in nature serve as valuable targets for treatment goals, risk management strategies, and treatment evaluation (Douglas and Skeem, 2005), and their potential value for clinical practice has become more and more acknowledged in forensic mental health.